‘도대체.’
When did he come in?
The child was an unidentified Asian. I wiped away my tears and glared, but all I got in return was fluent Russian. His accent was so perfect that I was momentarily dumbfounded, but he must have been born and raised here.
However, every word the child said seemed to stir my very soul. He not only quickly caught onto the rhythm but also instantly realized the problem with my right hand.
I wanted to argue, but as soon as our eyes met, my throat tensed up and I froze. How could a child have such piercing eyes?
“Shall we begin?”
His voice had an irresistible force. The small child’s right hand moved towards the keyboard with the confidence of Armstrong’s first step on the moon.
Dudududung―!
I was almost out of my mind. Even if I had encountered a ghost, I wouldn’t have been more surprised than this.
The speed of my left hand and the way his right hand followed seemed almost connected. He even signaled me with his eyes at every breath.
He had never matched his breath with mine before. Yet, the child was mirroring my right hand with precision as if he had always known me.
“Get it together―!”
The voice that sounded like an alarm snapped me out of it. I almost missed the rhythm again.
At that moment, the child’s right hand was creating a rich, colorful sound as if it were singing.
I couldn’t help but be amazed. It felt like I was dreaming.
“Your posture―!”
Every time my posture slouched, the alarm rang. The child, as if he had eyes on the side of his head, seemed to understand my movements perfectly while keeping his eyes on the performance.
His gaze was so sharp that it made me more tense than any professor I had ever met.
Biting my lip, I moved my left hand with all my strength. Only then did the child’s lips curl up in satisfaction.
“Huff, huff.”
When the performance ended, I could barely catch my breath.
I had only moved my left hand, but it felt like I had exhausted my energy much faster than usual. The sweat soaking my back was proof of that.
But for some reason, I felt refreshed. Finally, my problems had surfaced.
“Now try playing alone, up to the second movement.”
My heart sank at the child’s words. Could I really do it? My mouth began to dry up.
That’s when it happened. The child’s hand rested on my shoulder. His eyes seemed to say,
What are you hesitating for?
Finally, my ten long fingers descended onto the keyboard. At that moment,
Duuung―!
The Wanderer Fantasy began to play. It felt like I had become a different person, with my old habits vanishing.
The child’s teachings lingered in my mind. Whenever my posture or right hand went astray, it felt like an alarm was ringing in my head.
It was like witnessing a miracle. As the rhythm gradually slowed down and the second movement ended on a half cadence,
“Perfect, perfect―!”
I felt a thrill running through me. My whole body trembled, and tears of joy welled up in my eyes.
I immediately turned to look for the child. He had become a benefactor to whom words could not fully express my gratitude.
But no matter how much I looked around, the child was nowhere to be seen. It was as if no one had been there from the start.
-Hoho, it looks good.
The portrait of Tchaikovsky on the wall seemed to say so. As if to confirm that he was the first principal, his face was hung in many places.
Well, I’ve helped enough. Consider it an entrance fee. Whether he fully corrects his habits in the future depends on his own efforts.
Just as I was about to head back to the concert hall,
Ziiing.
This time, it wasn’t the sound of a violin. Apparently, there was more than one practice room.
But again, the melody wasn’t pleasing. It felt as if a fishbone was stuck in my throat, making it unbearably uncomfortable.
Come on now, I’m not a charity worker. But then,
-Hoho, are you just going to pass by?
It felt like Tchaikovsky was giving me a hint. Moreover, the melodies tickling my ears were really hard to listen to.
Maybe it’s because I studied composition, but there’s a limit to how much one can deviate from the score. This was on the level of complete recreation, and not in a good way.
If Mozart were alive, he wouldn’t be able to ignore this melody. No, it would be a miracle if he didn’t jump out of his coffin.
“Sigh―!”
They should consider themselves lucky. I turned my steps away from the concert hall.
If the performer had no talent, I wouldn’t have gone this far. Think of it as a fellow musician’s duty. Besides, I wanted to get rid of this uneasy feeling as soon as possible.
How much time had passed?
‘How many people have I seen?’
I must have seen at least five or six people. Every time I tried to turn away, an uncomfortable melody caught my ear, so I couldn’t just ignore it.
By the time I left the last practice room, the day was already ending. I just hoped the concert hadn’t ended.
Meanwhile, the portrait of Tchaikovsky continued to watch me from afar.
Fortunately, the concert hadn’t ended. Instead, it was break time after the first part, making the timing perfect.
“Madam, is there a seat next to you?”
“No, there isn’t. Please, have a seat.”
A kind-looking Russian lady welcomed me. She looked at me sweating and offered me her water and towel. Oh, Mother Russia―!
She then introduced me to the burly young man sitting next to her as her son. He looked like he could join a college rugby team right away. For a moment, I thought of Erik from Northern Europe, who was just as big.
“My son is 13 years old. How old are you, boy?”
I almost choked. If the second part of the concert hadn’t started just then, I might have ended up calling that burly young man ‘hyung.’ His fists were as big as my face.
As expected,
‘No wonder it’s one of the world’s top five music schools.’
Even for a free concert, it was so moving that I got goosebumps all over.
Of course, the performers were still rough diamonds, but just listening made my eyes and ears so happy. I couldn’t even imagine how hard they must have worked.
Just when I thought I wanted this moment to last forever, the host stepped onto the stage.
“The final performance will be by violinist Anna.”
I could feel the audience’s attention focusing all at once. The image I had seen before was not a figment of my imagination.
The pure white dress harmonized with her platinum blonde hair, making her look like a white rose turned into a person.
And those sparkling green eyes, filled with such excellence that no ordinary actress could compare.
Even the way she lifted her bow was like a scene from a movie, and the audience watched in awe.
Ziiing―!
The sharp melody reached the ceiling. My lips slowly curled up. The fragile-looking girl had grown so much in an instant. I no longer needed to make funny faces to ease her tension.
If Tchaikovsky, the first principal, had heard this, he would have given a standing ovation.
But even the most timeless sheet music has fermatas on the double bar lines. As the final note scattered and the thunderous applause erupted,
‘Long time no see, Anna.’
My eyes met Anna’s as if by some miracle.
Thump thump thump.
Her long, groomed hair fluttered in the wind. The sound of a strong heartbeat felt like someone was pounding her chest mercilessly.
After finishing the performance, she greeted the conductor with whom she had collaborated and shook countless hands.
Despite the cheers from the audience and the professor’s praise, only one scene kept playing in Anna’s mind like a repeating film.
‘How?’
It was definitely Hyun. Especially, the last lip movement was still vivid in her memory. She wanted to jump off the stage immediately, but she held back.
She hurried to find the concert hall, but Hyun was nowhere to be seen. Where could he have gone? Could it be that she had imagined it? Holding her white dress with both hands, Anna hurriedly ran. “Mr. Haman······!”
Anna couldn’t finish her sentence. She had found Haman, the head of security at the Moscow State Conservatory, but there were already several visitors.
They were all familiar students. Piano, violin, even viola. She had often met them during collaborations.
They, too, were visibly surprised to see Anna. After all, Anna was currently the rising star of Moscow.
“Anna, are you also looking for the Asian boy?”
How did they know?
Before Anna could say anything, Haman shook his head.
“These students here are the same. They say an Asian boy suddenly appeared in the practice room and then disappeared just as suddenly. Does that even make sense? It’s not like you’re all hallucinating together. Did you see a ghost or something? If the kid was this tall, he couldn’t have been more than ten years old. How could he have taught you?”
Anna briefly thought of the musical genius she had met in the chapel. The boy who had instantly identified their problems.
But the students looked just as puzzled. The Asian boy who had been right in front of them had vanished without a trace, so it was no wonder they were baffled.
Haman, the security guard, kept insisting they must have seen a ghost. What was the truth?
“Could it really have been a ghost…?”
Like the trembling voice of a pianist, the students could not continue their words. They couldn’t understand the miraculous event they had experienced.
Who could identify all their problems so quickly? Not even Tchaikovsky could have done it.
A chilly breeze seemed to blow through the backs of the gathered people. It was the moment the legend of the little ghost at the Moscow Conservatory began to take root.
“Dr. Tikhonov must be delighted, Hyun.”
Leaving the dorm with my father, we headed to the doctor’s lab. I felt like a colt being led to the slaughterhouse.
A few days ago, I had returned late from the Moscow Conservatory and got a good scolding from my father.
Of course, I wanted to contact him. I had lost track of time while engrossed in the concert.
I couldn’t even say goodbye to Anna and had to rush to catch a taxi. If I had been any later, I might have received a spanking for the first time in decades.
“If the commercialization of graphene is successful, it will cause a seismic shift in many fields. For example, we could make a transparent hammock with a single layer of graphene measuring 1m2. It would be sturdy enough to hold a small-framed boy like you, Hyun, and it would weigh less than 1mg. Its strength is hundreds of times that of steel. This could be used in countless industries. Sports, military, and especially electronics due to its high electrical conductivity.”
Who else but the talkative doctor would hold me and not let go? I could even mimic Dr. Tikhonov’s voice now.
But sometimes, when I listened to his conversations, I couldn’t help but be amazed by his foresight.
“The times are always changing, even at this very moment. Hyun, I foresee a near future where people will enjoy everything through their phones. Not just voice calls, but intranet, watching videos, making payments instead of using cash, and even virtual reality. By the way, this is something my friends have secretly told me.”
“What do your friends do?”
Perhaps they work for the National Science Foundation or NASA.
“They’re film directors in Hollywood. They work very well together as brothers.”
I barely held back a laugh. Who would have thought they were film directors?
In a way, they weren’t wrong. Science fiction was the best at predicting the future.
We also pass by moments when imagination becomes reality.
“By the way, Hyun, you like music, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
Apparently, my father hadn’t mentioned that I won the grand prize at an international competition.
Dr. Tikhonov seemed to have no interest in classical music, so he probably thought I was just a student who liked music.
That’s why he was always trying to steer me towards chemistry whenever he had the chance.
“My cousin has just been appointed as head of a department at the Moscow Conservatory. If you have time, would you like to go congratulate him with me? It’s a place that every musician dreams of. It would be a great experience. Moreover, there’s a fascinating legend circulating at the Moscow Conservatory right now.”
It was welcome news to my ears. What kind of legend?
“Oh, they say there’s a little ghost wandering around the conservatory. If we’re lucky, we might meet the little ghost.”
A little ghost?
