"no, I do not want."
Chairman Wang's eyes widened as he was eating Makguksu. It must have been because an unexpected answer came out of my mouth. My grandfather also had a look of surprise on his face. He probably didn't know that I would reject him so abruptly.
"Hyun-ah, do you not like studying music?"
"No, it's fun."
There was a complex emotion in my grandfather's eyes. He seemed to have no idea what I was thinking. How about learning music? Of course it would be fun. It was incomparable to my past life when I studied law in pursuit of power. But.
"I'm not studying abroad yet."
I didn't immediately feel like studying music in a foreign country. I had promised myself over and over again that I would live a life without regrets. My grandfather, with whom I had never had a proper conversation in my past life, I had glimpsed his true feelings in just a short month. Even the feelings of guilt that he felt toward his mother.
I know he has only five years left to live.
"Hmm, Hyun-i doesn't really know who Hirose is?"
At that moment, Chairman Wang looked at me with a strange smile.
Hirose?
As you know.
Wasn't she the empress who left her mark on the violin world? I listened to her violin concerto No. 1 by Paganini and violin concerto by Stravinsky over and over again until my ears were worn out. I heard that her violin was put up for auction after her death, and the price was probably beyond imagination. She is a violinist recognized not only in Asia but also around the world. But that's all.
"It doesn't matter if they're famous."
I had no intention of studying abroad to meet a violinist I had never met before. And.
"If you really want to see me, then you should come from that side."
Didn't they say that a thirsty person digs a well?
"Look at this reckless kid. He's really something, something!"
Chairman Wang Il-sun looked at me with admiration. When I quietly met his eyes, he met my gaze with his characteristically sparkling eyes. It was a series of gazes as if he was trying to see into my mind.
"Haha. Now I know why my granddaughter fell for Hyeon."
huh?
My body, which had been tense, relaxed without me knowing it because of the unexpected story. Grandfather and Chairman Wang looked at each other, and it seemed as if they were having a silent conversation. I wanted to read the story in their eyes, but how could I possibly do that? They are people who have at least a hundred snakes inside them.
"Inspiration, don't forget your promise."
"Son-ga, of course I have a worse memory than you."
What are you talking about?
"Mr. Chairman."
At that moment, Chairman Wang's secretary approached the table cautiously. The secretary bowed her head politely and lowered her posture, and Chairman Wang, who had been silently listening to the secretary's story, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Soon, a deep smile appeared on his lips.
"Chairman Yoo."
Chairman Wang glances at me after floating his luck to his grandfather. Hey, his eyebrows are furrowed as if something funny has happened.
*
It was a car heading to the mansion in Pyeongchang-dong.
Chairman Wang's face is always filled with a faint smile, as if he finds something so funny. It doesn't match the anecdotes he's heard as legends from his past life. However, you can't even imagine how many masks are lurking inside him. No wonder the person Son Il-seon feared the most was Chairman Wang.
"They're all here, Chairman."
I looked out the window at the gentleman's words. The mansion in Pyeongchang-dong that always feels oppressive. It would later be evaluated as the holy place of the Jeil Group. I should have gotten used to it because of the music lessons, but I still feel a little uncomfortable because of the memories of my past life. But who would have thought that I would be visiting this place so often?
"Oppa─!"
As soon as I entered the garden, I saw Son Yu-ha running towards me from beyond my line of sight. The secretary standing behind me immediately followed me, sweating profusely. It must have been hard to handle that kid, but it was too bad. Son Yu-ha came right up to me, but when he confirmed the grandfather's presence, he stopped right there. And then.
"Hello, Grandpa."
Isn't that a greeting like a lady of the past? Grandpa smiled and nodded, thinking that it was cute. Son Yu-ha came up next to me as if she had been waiting and clung to me tightly. Is it just my mood that makes me more interested in her as time goes by?
"Brother, there's a man here just now. Who is he······!"
Son Yu-ha was trying to tell me something, but it was hard to understand the child's words that were being spouted out like a machine gun in an excited state. However, Chairman Wang seemed to already know what Yu-ha was talking about. What the heck, I have no idea how things are going.
As we enter the mansion.
The secretary who had been following Son Yu-ha immediately guided him. Chairman Wang and his grandfather went ahead, and Yu-ha followed them. After passing through the long hallway, they arrived at the reception room, where someone was already sitting.
"uh?"
Who's that guy?
His gray hair, deep-set eyes, upturned eyebrows, and sharp nose gave off an infinitely sharp impression. He was a foreigner with a pale complexion, but he was definitely a familiar face. Compared to his appearance in my memories, he had gotten younger.
"Maestro, nice to meet you."
Chairman Wang was the first to skillfully greet foreigners.
Thump.
Then, when I fully revealed myself, the foreigner's eyes opened wide. His cold eyes soon became filled with warm emotions. He walked briskly toward me, his thin lips turning up as if they were about to touch his ears.
'Why is this person here?'
When I saw it up close, I could be sure. This person was definitely Spencer, the famous conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, representing England. Anyone interested in orchestras would know him. How many times have I watched a live performance DVD of this person conducting in his past life? I even watched his orchestra at the Barbican Center, his home concert hall. That person.
"I really wanted to see you."
You wanted to see me? Why on earth?
That was when.
The foreigner with the colored hair, Spencer, straightened his clothes and politely extended his hand to me. Was he asking for a handshake? His expression was so serious that my throat shook. It was the moment when Spencer's long fingers met my small hand.
"Honey oppa."
He didn't forget the Korean he had learned.
* * *
Jiying.
Park Seon-yeong was playing with all her might. Sweat dripped down her back, but the bow and strings continued to touch without pause. It was as if she could not play if not today, and it was desperate and even sorrowful. Who would have thought that an unaccompanied violin melody could express such heavy emotions? Park Seon-yeong's face, with her eyes closed, looked like the main character in a sad love song.
Even after the performance is over.
Park Seon-yeong didn't put the violin down from her shoulder for a long time. Her shoulders were soaked with sweat as if the wind and rain had soaked them, and her right hand holding the bow was trembling slightly. How long had she been playing?
"under."
Park Seon-yeong blew away all those aftertastes with a single breath and opened her half-closed eyes.
'What's the use of perfecting technique when the melody dies?'
The child's voice was engraved in my head like a talisman. He had figured out a problem that he had never figured out himself just by listening to the performance once. It was absurd, but what could I do? It was definitely not a dream, but reality.
"Seonyoung, have you been playing all this time?"
At that moment, Park Seon-yeong's friend opened the door to the soundproof room and came in. Her face was filled with shock, and that was because she was the only person who knew that Park Seon-yeong had been playing the violin since morning.
Park Seon-yeong nodded briefly without saying a word. But her appearance was unusual. Her eyes were so clear that it was hard to imagine that she had been playing for hours. Park Seon-yeong smiled as she lowered the violin from her shoulder. It was clearly just a piece of advice, but the child's words.
"Let's stop now and go eat!"
It was enough to free me from the curse that had been tangled in my head like a thread.
*
"So you came all the way here from England after watching my performance video?"
As Spencer and I spoke in English, Chairman Wang's eyes lit up. I had seen him speak to the crown prince at a banquet hall before, but his pronunciation, which was no less than that of a native speaker, was still noticeable. Spencer seemed to be equally amazed.
"That's right, I wanted to see Hyun's performance, so I left the orchestra and came running here. Would you believe me if I told you that my heart was pounding like a girl's on the plane?"
Spencer treated me quite comfortably even though it was our first time meeting. I didn't mind because I knew his nickname. If he had treated me in a difficult way, it would have been awkward. For a moment, Spencer looked at me strangely.
"By the way, have you ever lived in England?"
Oops.
When I was in the legal team of Jeil Group, I stayed in the London branch. It was a time when we were focusing on overseas business, so I went back and forth between Korea and London for quite a while. Of course, the litigation was handled by graduates of overseas law schools, but I was the person in charge of the overall management. Since the judicial system was different, I studied very hard. I think the accent from back then is ingrained in me.
"No, I've never been anywhere outside of Korea."
Spencer nodded, swallowing his surprise at my pronunciation. Chairman Wang and his grandfather had already taken a step back from the conversation. It seemed like they were just watching me and Spencer's conversation. Only Son Yu-ha, who couldn't understand the fast-paced English, was blowing air into his cheeks.
"Let me get straight to the point. I couldn't sleep for days after watching that performance. No, to be exact, it kept coming to my mind even while I was conducting the orchestra. It wasn't like that when I first saw a porn magazine."
This guy?
What are you talking about in front of a young child?
"Hyun, have you ever thought about becoming a guest with the London Symphony Orchestra?"
"yes?"
My voice grew louder without me knowing. What kind of absurd suggestion was this? A guest member of an orchestra. But Spencer's blue eyes revealed a firm determination. Did I hear wrong? I know how much effort is required to become a member of an orchestra. Even if you are a guest member, it is the famous London Symphony.
"Of course, he won't be able to join the orchestra right away. He'll need to have the skills to do so. But if he's the person I saw in the video, I'll definitely have him join my orchestra."
Spencer, who had no intention of giving rice cakes, spoke firmly. The ridiculous suggestions were so shocking that it was shocking. Chairman Wang and his grandfather also overheard the conversation and looked clearly surprised. At that moment.
"Hyeon, if you don't mind, could you play the violin here?"
Spencer grabbed my shoulders with both hands. His gaze was so intense that I felt like I would be sucked into his eyes. At that moment, Son Yu-ha, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, thought back to the last sentence and suddenly got up from his seat.
"violin?"
Son Yu-ha raises his voice and looks at Spencer, who has a proud expression that he can understand English too. Spencer also nods his head with a satisfied smile. Then, Son Yu-ha runs off somewhere without anyone being able to stop him. You can tell what he's doing without even looking at the video.