Sizzle―!
“Kang Hyun, are you already awake?”
As I walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my neck, the housekeeper greeted me. It seemed like she had come to wake me up, but she went downstairs after leaving a comment about being diligent.
Actually, I couldn’t sleep well last night due to excitement. How could I sleep when I was playing Michel Piccoli’s rendezvous? My eyes, which should have been tired, were more vivid than ever. It was as if I had taken a good night’s sleep.
“Kang Hyun, today is the first day of the Gryffin development, right?”
“Yes, father-in-law.”
“Even if you fail, don’t be too discouraged. You can’t be full with the first spoonful. Even if the first development is successful, there are many steps to go through, including field tests and DIY tests, so maintaining a steady attitude is the most important.”
“I will keep that in mind, father-in-law.”
There was a reason why my father’s expression was heavy from the morning.
Don’t worry, father. Gryffin is like a savior for Dongju.
Grandfather is worried about whether it will be commercialized, but once the development is completed, won’t the whole world come running?
Of course, in my past life, it was absorbed by foreign capital without realizing its true value. “By the way, Hyun, when are you going to France?”
“It is scheduled for next Sunday.”
Finally, I will be going to France next week.
Grandfather always said my opinion was the most important and gladly allowed me to go.
“By the way, Im Hyera praised your business skills, Hyun.”
“Director, no, you mean Im Hyera?”
“Yes, Im Hyera is known to be as strict as in-laws, but she couldn’t stop praising you, Hyun. I’m afraid we might lose our grandson to the Daeil Group. Haven’t we already lost three people in Pyeongchang-dong? Haha.”
Grandfather showed a subtle smile. For a moment, the faces of Chairman Wang, Im Hyera, and Son Yooha flashed through my mind.
Somehow, I felt large beads of sweat forming on my back.
Every time I go to school, it feels like more eyes are on me.
Fortunately, no one comes up to me and tries to talk. They must have been educated from a young age as heirs of well-known companies.
By the way, this school doesn’t have a speck of dust. The facilities and the grass field make it look more like a university than a middle school.
“Are you really going to participate in the festival?”
The short bobbed hair swayed roughly. The class president looked at me with excited eyes and then calmed down. She probably didn’t expect me to actually accept her proposal to participate in the festival.
She was trying to hide her expression, but her flushed cheeks were proof enough. “By the way, when exactly is the festival?”
“It was supposed to be around this time, but it got postponed due to construction.”
“Construction? It will get cold soon, and it got postponed?” The class president tilted her head at my words.
“Hyun, the festival is held in the auditorium anyway?”
Oh, there was an auditorium. I thought it was held on the playground.
As expected of the Daeil Foundation. But if I go to France, the festival might already be over by the time I return. However, the class president shook her head firmly, indicating there was no problem.
“I’ll go tell the teacher that you’ve decided to perform at the festival stage!”
Before I could stop her, she ran towards the teachers’ office. Somehow, her back overlapped with Son Yooha’s figure.
Soon, it was music time, and all the students headed to the music room.
It was my first time visiting the music room after transferring. The music teacher looked at me with a moved expression, which I understood from her words.
“Hyun, I saw you perform with the London Symphony. It was amazing!”
The short music teacher said in a small voice. Her thumbs-up gesture felt cute for some reason.
Looking at the curriculum, it was time to learn the basics of the violin. However, the music teacher kept looking at me, and so did the other students.
In an ordinary middle school, there might be only one violin, but here, everyone had a practice violin. I could feel their gazes as they adjusted their postures, and eventually, the music teacher took a deep breath and looked at me.
“Hyun, could you play a piece for the students and me? Everyone is curious about how you play the violin.”
“Me?”
“Yes, but don’t feel pressured if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that. I just feel sorry for taking up the teacher’s time.”
The music teacher shook her head firmly as if she had been waiting for me to say that. The other students also stopped what they were doing and looked at me.
I walked to the front and looked at the students. As I took my position smoothly, I could hear the sound of gulping from here and there. The girls, and even Kim Hayeon, looked already moved.
Although it was a practice violin, I could tell it was well-maintained as soon as I took my posture. It was a pity that such a good instrument hadn’t been properly played.
I wanted to ask the strings what they wanted to play.
As I slowly raised my hand holding the bow, ziiing―!
The strings spoke.
The autumn breeze in the morning felt as cold as winter, reminding me once again.
Still, it was a relief to be able to take off my school uniform for a while. Transferring to the Daeil Middle School was indeed a wise choice.
The scenery of Gimpo Airport was the same as ever. Although international travel was gradually increasing, it was mostly to nearby Southeast Asia. Most of that was package tours following guides.
“Oppa, make sure to eat this on your way!”
Son Yooha handed me a chocolate with her small hand.
Her rabbit-like eyes were brimming with tears, as if she would cry any moment, but she was holding back by tightly pressing her lips together. Finding her cute, I couldn’t help but pat her head, and she suddenly hugged me tightly.
Grandfather and Chairman Wang were watching us with pleased expressions. My chest felt wet as Yooha seemed to have started crying.
“Oppa, come back soon.”
The ice princess was certainly cute.
“Then I’ll be off, Grandfather. Father. I’ll take good care of Mother, so don’t worry. Yooha, Oppa will be back soon!”
According to the French Child Labor Protection Law, unlike last time, Mother needed to accompany me.
Since there were no direct flights at that time, we had to transit through Moscow, and there were no Korean-speaking crew.
I wondered when international aviation laws would be established so that crew members who could speak both the departure and destination countries’ languages would be assigned.
At that moment, a Russian flight attendant looked at me strangely.
“Sir, are you perhaps Queen Elizabeth?”
When I nodded briefly, the flight attendant, who was handing out in-flight meals, opened her eyes wide.
Some of the crew remembered me. It must have been memorable for them to see a child flying alone to Brussels.
Moreover, they were even more surprised when they found out I could speak Russian.
“Ah, son. Is it always like this when you fly?”
Isn’t this a Russian airline? It certainly had a rougher edge than domestic airlines.
But now, they were treating me like a VIP. Mother and I were both bewildered.
The influence of Queen Elizabeth was astounding. But I realized it when I saw the pamphlet on the seat.
“Anna?”
Anna was holding a violin in the promotional pamphlet for the airline. Her shy eyes and light platinum hair were unmistakably Anna.
I was curious about how this happened, so I asked the senior flight attendant.
“She is the young lady of the Russian airline, sir. Is there anything else you need?”
This is unbelievable.
“Son, is something wrong?”
Mother, who didn’t understand Russian, asked curiously. Shaking my head, I dismissed the flight attendant, but I was still bewildered.
Mother still looked puzzled. My expression must have looked like the protagonist who just discovered their birth secret in a weekend drama.
Then, I remembered Anna’s words asking me to visit Moscow.
At dawn, we passed through Moscow.
By the time the sun was setting again, we arrived in France.
Although I had been on the plane for over a day, thanks to the hospitality of the Russian airline, I felt quite refreshed instead of tired from the long flight.
Mother couldn’t stop praising the Russian flight attendants for their kindness. Once again, I realized how important connections are.
Spasibo! Russia―!
After completing the entry procedures and stepping out of the gate.
“Hyun!”
Director Jean-Pierre came to meet us in person. He greeted Mother first and then welcomed me.
“I didn’t expect you to come in person, Director. Aren’t you busy with filming?”
“No matter how busy I am, how could I not come to greet Hyun on the day he arrives? Actually, the sound director also wanted to come, but I left him on set. Shall we go to the hotel? If you and your mother are okay, I would like to treat you to a nice meal. In France, there’s nothing more important than treating a guest to their first meal.”
Mother said we couldn’t ignore the director’s kindness and agreed. I wasn’t tired at the moment either.
Maybe because of the comfortable escort, I didn’t feel any jet lag at all, to exaggerate a bit.
“By the way, there’s someone else who wants to meet you besides me.”
“Me?”
“Hyun is more popular among artists than you think. The impression you made in Brussels was quite strong. Let’s go to my car first. Today, since we have special guests, I must be the best driver.”
Jean-Pierre guided Mother and me like a British gentleman.
Since he wasn’t famous yet, Jean-Pierre’s car was small. If I had come with any illusions, it would have been quite a headache.
There was no problem since Chairman Wang had offered to send bodyguards if needed.
Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre’s driving was like watching “The Fast and the Furious”.
Of course, in a different sense. He drove so slowly and defensively that the cars behind us were about to explode with frustration.
However, his face remained peaceful. It overlapped with the face of a protagonist seeking peace in the midst of war.
As expected of the director who created the masterpiece “La Vie en Rose”.
“It’s a pity Hyun is still young. If you were an adult, I would have treated you to a well-aged Château Haut-Brion.”
In France, treating someone to wine is considered important. In my past life, I used to enjoy wines from the Bordeaux region whenever I visited France.
I wanted to at least savor the aroma, but with Mother next to me, what could I do with this body? I could only sip on some lemonade and swallow my saliva.
Just then, something caught my eye.
“Director, do they also have piano performances here?”
There was a large grand piano in the middle of the restaurant. It didn’t seem like just a decoration, as the piano bench and keyboard cover had signs of use, indicating that it was often played.
But before Jean-Pierre could answer, a mysterious woman suddenly sat on the piano bench.
It was dinner time, so the restaurant was crowded, and conversations were ongoing.
But as soon as the mysterious woman sat on the piano bench, the entire room fell silent, as if on cue.
Not knowing what was going on, I looked at Jean-Pierre, but he only smiled enigmatically. Then the sound of the piano resonated. The beautiful melody turned my attention.
Everyone in the restaurant was captivated by the piano’s melody.
I had heard this music somewhere before. Definitely.
As the piece reached its climax, the woman’s fingers moved even faster.
Her long hair swayed, revealing her face, and I almost stood up from my seat.
Sensing my presence, she looked at me. My heart began to pound.
