“Number 27, 1.05 million dollars―!”
The light and shadow of the Italian painter Henri, at first glance, looked like a six-year-old child had played with a brush on a canvas. Yet, in modern art, there was nothing more avant-garde than this.
Who would know that the price would be ten times higher in the future? “Number 121, 1.1 million dollars.”
“Number 98, 1.15 million dollars.”
It was an auction where bids were made in increments of fifty thousand dollars. Normally, it was customary not to call out paddles except for the final bidder, but since it was a private auction, each bidder was called individually.
At that moment, Im Hyera, the director, raised her paddle. “Number 77, 1.2 million dollars.”
“1.2 million dollars.”
“1.2 million dollars.”
Indeed, she was a woman born with a golden spoon. She consistently won bids on valuable pieces without hesitation, even for works worth hundreds of millions of won.
Soon, the bidding ended after three calls, and the sound of the auctioneer’s gavel echoed throughout the room.
“Hyun, isn’t this interesting?”
Well, for a child, everything must seem fascinating. It’s an expensive experience that money can’t buy. However,
‘I’ve attended hundreds of these.’
Hadn’t I roamed countless auctions in my past life? Especially when I was under Director Im Hyera, attending Hong Kong Sotheby’s every weekend became routine.
I studied modern art as if I was studying law to catch the director’s eye. If I exaggerate, I might know more than the seasoned old auctioneers.
“The next piece is ‘The Thinking Woman’ by the French neoclassical painter Louis de Lain.”
What?
My eyes lit up unconsciously. Is it an expensive piece? Can’t you see from the people hurriedly raising their paddles as soon as it was named? It must be one of the hottest items in this auction.
But there was another reason I was surprised. In the future, ‘The Thinking Woman’ by Lain…
‘…will be revealed as a fake.’
Sometimes, fakes could become genuine depending on the influence of collectors, but Lain’s case was different.
The French National Museum bought Lain’s work and, through carbon dating, found it to be a fake, leaving no room for doubt.
Seeing people rushing in, unaware that it’s a fake, makes it hard to tell if they’re buying art or stocks.
“It seems we shouldn’t buy this piece, seeing Hyun wrinkle his forehead.”
“Pardon?”
Could it be that she has been watching my expressions and has continued bidding based on them?
Director Im Hyera made an amused face. I felt like the octopus that predicted World Cup victories and thought I should maintain a poker face from now on.
At that moment,
“The next piece is the old violin Guarneri, made in 1743.” My heart began to race uncontrollably.
“Old man, this is directly sourced from Yunnan Province.”
Chairman Wang poured thick Pu’er tea as if he were showing off a treasure.
It was brought at an expensive price from Bohea County, one of the origins of Pu’er tea and a junction of the Tea Horse Road.
Its long aging made it a precious item that couldn’t be bought with money alone. No wonder it’s compared to wild ginseng.
“Mr. Son, why aren’t you savoring this precious thing alone?”
“Well, how could I be selfish with someone growing old alongside me? Moreover.”
“Moreover?”
“We should sit together at the venue.”
He wasn’t talking about a funeral. Judging by his excited face, he meant a wedding venue.
“Old man, shall I show you something interesting?”
Chairman Wang eagerly took something out of his pocket.
It was a small photo. His expressionless face, with the corners of his mouth raised to his ears, made it seem like a photo of his first love taken during his youth.
Chairman Yoo’s eyes widened as he checked the photo.
“I secretly had another copy made at the photo studio. Look at how inseparable they are.”
“I noticed them from the airport; this photo looks like a scene from a movie.”
“Indeed, I’d love to hang a large frame of it in my living room, but I held back, fearing it might be considered foolish.”
“Mr. Son, secretly making a copy of the photo isn’t foolish?”
“Ahem, they are too cute.”
The photo showed them kissing each other, proving their innocent love.
The fountain in the background looked like it was launching fireworks, making it impossible for a grandfather not to smile.
“By the way, I have a gift prepared for my grandson-in-law.”
“Grandson-in-law? Isn’t it too early?”
“Chairman Yoo, you know too well that the best things get taken if you don’t claim them first.”
What on earth is he trying to claim first?
“Number 103, 800 thousand dollars―!”
The price was soaring as if in competition.
Old violins like Guarneri usually have unique nicknames, but this one didn’t. According to the auctioneer, it was kept as a display piece in a wealthy household.
“Number 99, 950 thousand dollars.”
“Number 120, 1 million dollars.”
Isn’t it too expensive for just an instrument? Ah, in the future, the Stradivarius “Lady Blunt” auctioned at Tarisio fetched 15.9 million dollars.
Moreover, with Sotheby’s blind auctions, where final prices are kept secret, the price could be unimaginable.
It was right to treat it not as an instrument but as a piece of art.
Thump thump thump.
In my past life, I never paid attention to common hobbies like watches or cars. Looking back, I hardly had any hobbies.
But why was my heart pounding so heatedly for this old violin?
I wanted to raise my paddle immediately, but…
“Number 130, 1.1 million dollars.”
The price was skyrocketing. Even though my royalties were quite lucrative, I couldn’t afford such a large sum at once.
While I was lost in thought, the Guarneri’s price surpassed 1.3 million dollars. Watching helplessly, I felt more and more anxious.
I began to understand why women loved luxury handbags. Even though there was the Stradivarius “Fantasia,” I couldn’t take my eyes off the Guarneri.
At that moment,
“Number 77, 1.5 million dollars―!”
Director Im Hyera, sitting next to me, raised her paddle.
Why? Wasn’t she only interested in modern art? With the hammer price making the final touch, the auctioneer’s gavel echoed through the hall.
At that moment, Director Im Hyera winked at me. “Hyun, it’s yours.”
“Pardon?”
“Father said you’d understand if I mentioned the composition fee.”
Wasn’t she joking? I had casually asked for one of the three sacred violins as a fee for composing for the Daeil Group family.
I wondered if it was okay to accept such an expensive gift, but my face flushed as much as my excited heart.
“Are you making a movie about Niccolò Paganini?”
The petals floating in the teacup gave off a fresh scent.
“It’s truly a delightful journey. Who would’ve thought a movie about Paganini would be made in Italy.”
“Maestro, it’s an honor for me. I never imagined you’d be in Italy. If Eden hadn’t told me, it would have been truly unfortunate.”
Happiness was evident on Jean-Pierre’s face. Who was the old man sitting in front of him? None other than the eternal maestro, Gustav.
Without his acquaintance with Eden, the conductor of the Belgian Symphony Orchestra, meeting this person would have been impossible.
When making a movie related to music, the most crucial aspect is the experts’ feedback. Knowing theory and actual practice are different.
In that sense, the old man sitting in front of him was like a living museum.
“But would it be inappropriate for this old man to visit the filming set? Everyone will be sensitive; I worry it might make them nervous.”
“Maestro, who could possibly think that way?”
“Thank you for saying so. By the way, who is the violinist responsible for the live recording?”
Of course, he was curious. The person who would reproduce the performance of a violinist historically known as having sold his soul to the devil.
Gustav’s wrinkled eyes brimmed with curiosity.
“The violinist is Hyun. You might not know him, but he is a promising young violinist from Asia.”
At that moment, the petals in the teacup swayed.
“Director Jean-Pierre, you not only have an eye for movies but also for musicians.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems I’ll have to stay in Italy a bit longer.” Gustav’s unexpected smile appeared.
If there was a hot stone in my chest, it would feel like this. Ever since I returned from the auction, my heart had been pounding incessantly.
I was eager to play the Guarneri right away, but I had no choice. Even auctions have procedures before the winning items are handed over, so it would take some time before it was in my hands.
But still,
‘Am I falling for this?’
I couldn’t help but recall Chairman Wang giving a thumbs-up. Although I was supposed to receive one of the three sacred violins for composing for the Daeil Group family, it was a verbal agreement, so it had little legal effect.
For some reason, I couldn’t help but remember my grandfather saying, ‘No to being a live-in son-in-law.’
“We’ve arrived.”
The filming location we arrived at was the concert hall where I had played the violin before.
Starting the first crank-in with Paganini’s performance, the most nervous one now would be actor Alessandro, who was playing Niccolò Paganini.
Hadn’t he even come to the hotel where I was staying a few days ago? But we missed each other due to my visit to the auction.
“Hyun, an important guest is visiting today.”
“A guest?”
“A renowned musician who will provide advice throughout the film. I approached him with a mindset of having nothing to lose, but he accepted so willingly that I’m still in disbelief.”
Who could he be talking about? Judging by Jean-Pierre’s excited face, he wasn’t an ordinary person.
Indeed, the more experts a music film had, the more it shined. “Alessandro, if it’s not too much trouble, can I help you with your posture?” “Ahem, I would appreciate that, Hyun.”
Alessandro, fully dressed as Paganini, was focused on holding the violin posture. As rumored, his posture was exceptional, indicating that his claim of majoring in violin until college was true. His finger movements were not something one could imitate after a day or two of learning.
Still, there were some areas that needed improvement.
“When Paganini actually performed, he would have bent his index finger more. He had longer fingers and joints that bent in a unique way, allowing him to use a special technique. His shoulder posture would have been more twisted. Your posture is too standard right now.”
Alessandro looked at me with curious eyes. For someone who had learned the violin, this posture might seem nonsensical.
In Chappelle, in the London Symphony, most people did not believe it at first. However,
Zing.
At the changed melody, Alessandro’s eyes widened.
He would never have imagined that correcting his posture could change the melody.
As Alessandro was left speechless by the almost magical scene,
“Huh?”
Beyond our gaze, a wheelchair entered the filming set. A man in a black suit was pushing the wheelchair, and sitting in front of it was a familiar old man.
Seeing my expression, Alessandro also turned to check the wheelchair. His eyes grew even bigger than before.
“G-Gustav?”
If he majored in the violin, he couldn’t not know who this was.
At the appearance of the eternal maestro, Jean-Pierre ran out barefoot. Alessandro, still unable to believe it, kept rubbing his eyes with his sleeves.
At that moment, after greeting Jean-Pierre, the old man headed toward me. The eternal maestro Gustav extended his hand to me first.
“It’s been a while, young maestro.”
Young maestro?
