"You must contract the copyright immediately!"
The thrill that ran through Kang Sung-wook's entire body showed no signs of going away. As evidence, wasn't the hand holding the receiver slightly shaking?
"Hmm, Seongwook. What are you talking about?"
The director's voice came over the receiver. It was an international call. It must be dawn in Korea. The director's tongue was twisted, probably because he drank a lot last night. But he continued without showing it. Right now, more than anything, he was pressed for time.
"We have to sign a contract for the rights to this Queen Elizabeth documentary!"
In fact, I had a light heart at first. I had visited Brussels as a tourist rather than as a CP in charge of current affairs and culture programs. However, it was only after I arrived at the Beaux Arts Hall that I realized that there were tremendous clouds of war hanging over me. Not only were famous masters visiting Brussels, but Chairman Wang of Jeil Group was also taking up a seat. Who is he?
A leading figure in the South Korean business community.
I wondered what kind of cultivation this was.
In the first place, classical music was not a very popular genre in Korea. What's more, although the name has changed now, it was the fact that the executives of the newspapers under the Jeil Group came to Brussels to cover the story as if they were new recruits. It was a case of a ghost crying. However, everything was clearly proven once the curtain went up on the stage.
"I will tell you everything I saw today without leaving anything out."
The audience was captivated by the child's performance, and in the end, their souls were shaken to their core. The sound of someone gulping down water could be heard on the other end of the receiver. Even I, who was explaining, was sweating so much that the other person must have felt even more so. By now, he had probably put back on the glasses he had taken off.
"PD Kang. There was such a prodigy in Korea? Other than Baek Jeong-hoon?"
The director, whose tongue had been twisted, was suddenly speaking with excitement. The pianist Baek Jeong-hoon, whom the director had called a genius, was also considered a next-generation master, but he was not a person well known to the public. However, this child would be different. He had a charm that drew people in just by looking at him.
"Director, let me be brief."
Moreover, he exchanged warm greetings with Chairman Wang of Jeil Group. Numerous reporters and cameras focused on the child. The reason was simple. He had won the honor of being the youngest Queen Elizabeth Award recipient.
"Tomorrow the name Kang Hyun will be featured in the media."
*
"joy-!"
Son Yu-ha glanced at me and turned her head away. She let out an angry snort. It must have been because of what happened in Brussels. At times like this, that ice bucket was really cute. By the way.
'It's so soft and fluffy, it really is first class.'
Suddenly, I remembered my past life.
Even when I was a senior prosecutor at the Western District Prosecutors' Office, business class was the most expensive, and first class was something I could never even dream of. That was the internal rule for public officials. But after I joined the legal team at Jeil Group, I often used first class.
Who would have thought that something that used to take decades to achieve would now be so easy?
I wanted to have a glass of wine, but I had to hold back. This young body couldn't even produce the enzyme to break down alcohol. And with so many eyes watching me, I raised my hand and wiped my face.
It's rough.
Before I knew it, calluses had formed and my fingertips had become blunt. It was a welcome change for me. I felt good because I felt like my days at Chapel had become deeply ingrained in me. Anyway, that's it.
'I really thought you'd take it.'
There was some expectation. But as soon as the competition was over, he would take back the Stradivarius like a ghost. In a way, it was natural. It wasn't something that cost a few pennies. He wasn't someone you could buy with money. He wasn't someone that even Son Il-seon, who was good at handling people, was afraid of. How could he convince that snake-like old man? I don't know for sure, but it was clear that it would be a very difficult process.
"Brother."
At that moment, Son Yu-ha called me with a very depressed voice. Her face looked like she was about to cry at any moment. The look of her snorting and getting angry just a moment ago had disappeared without a trace.
"Do you like that older sister…?"
He tried hard to hold back his laughter. He had his eyebrows furrowed and looked like he was thinking deeply. If someone saw him, they would think he was filming a teen movie.
"Yuha, in foreign countries, people kiss instead of saying hello. And you and your older sister are friends. Friends."
At the word friend, Yuha's face began to brighten again. It was a child's emotion, but he had never thought it would be resolved so easily. He wondered when he would ever gain the charisma and drive to rule Jeil Trading Company.
"That's right, oppa, your birthday is coming up soon, right? Is there anything you want?"
He even remembers birthdays that I don't celebrate. As soon as I nodded briefly, Yuha got up from his seat. And then, on his short feet, he walked straight to the seat in front of Chairman Wang.
"grandfather!"
Chairman Wang greeted Yu Ha with a smile. He must have felt good because his granddaughter, who had been crying just as she was getting on the plane, seemed to have regained her energy. However, Chairman Wang opened his eyes wide at the words that followed.
"Can I give that violin to Hyun-i oppa?"
As expected from that smart thing! The driving force is amazing.
* * *
When entertaining Maestro Gustav, it has become a common practice to float flower petals in the teacup. The warm flavor of the black tea lingers in the mouth, shaking off the lingering scent of the autumn breeze.
"Maestro, are you feeling okay?"
Eden Simeon, the permanent conductor of the Belgian Symphony Orchestra, carefully observed Gustav. Eden also enjoyed a virtuoso reputation, but compared to Gustav, he was a firefly in front of the sun. Gustav was a living legend and the teacher who first taught Eden how to conduct.
"I really didn't think you would come. If you had told me in advance, I would have gone out to meet you."
He was a teacher who had been battling an illness due to his rapidly aging body. I had no idea that he would fly to Brussels just because someone said they had seen a child who looked like him.
"Eden, that was a truly amazing adagio. Wasn't it?"
"Yes, Maestro."
It was about Kang Hyun's unaccompanied sonata. It was a Bach piece with a melody that was the opposite of Bruch's work. From the intense and sorrowful Adagio to the soft tone of Siciliano that captivates the audience and the fast tone of Presto, he reinterpreted Bach's piece through his own musical world. It was a bold and daring idea.
"That kid solved the riddle?"
A smile appeared on Gustav's lips as he heard Eden's story. He was the one who first created the riddle of Shapell. He never imagined that a child who resembled Yasha would solve the riddle. If that friend were alive, he would have wondered why he was making such a fuss.
"I'm looking forward to the future. Just imagine that the child will be able to play other instruments besides the violin, and become skilled at arranging and even composing. Music is all about one thing, so it's not impossible."
Eden swallowed hard. Just hearing the story made her heart race. Hadn't she observed the child's talents more closely than anyone else? Not to mention,
"I'm looking forward to the orchestra that kid will lead. I hope he grows up quickly."
He was a child with a natural talent for conducting. It was as if he could hear the sounds of all things. It was an ability that could not be explained in words. He was surprised more than once when he let his guard down. Didn't he instinctively make the great melody his own, like a tidal wave engulfing his body?
"I want to play the violin again after a long time, Eden."
He was a maestro who had not been able to play the violin properly for over ten years due to shoulder pain. However, at this moment, his eyes were bright, in stark contrast to his wrinkled face. It seemed as if his heart, heated by that child, had turned his fingertips back several decades.
"Oh, I see that kid."
"What are you talking about, Maestro?"
Gustav smiled silently as he recalled the dawn of Chapelle.
*
Sizzle sizzle!
There was no separate banquet from the morning. The magnificent appearance of the fresh air was enough to make me envious of the king's table. The food was prepared by the housekeeper herself. She treated me as if I had returned home in glory, and I didn't know what to do. Before I knew it, my mother and the housekeeper were busy preparing food, like best friends. However, even at a banquet, there were uninvited guests.
"I'm better at cooking, so I make japchae."
My aunt and uncle and their wives were also seated. My aunt, who seemed to have never touched a drop of water in her entire life, rolled up her sleeves and said she would help out. I guess I'll have to leave out the japchae.
"Okay, let's all listen up."
As soon as Grandfather picked up his spoon, everyone started eating. With his parents also present, it was like the first time the whole family was together. Grandfather seemed to be feeling something special.
"HyunA, congratulations on winning the grand prize at the contest."
My uncle gave a formal congratulatory speech.
"Our Jinseok is also going to the math competition this time, Dad. Well, the school is expecting so much that the principal personally told Jinseok to do his best."
The aunt was still busy bragging about her child. The uncle was eating without saying much, but every time the grandfather lifted his spoon, he flinched, as if he had a traumatic memory of having his forehead broken a while ago.
"Hyun-ah, you won the grand prize this time. How much was the prize money?"
prize money?
Yes, there was, it must have been quite a large sum of money, and they also said they would lend me a violin made by a master craftsman for free for a few years. But in front of the huge title of exemption from military service, I couldn't remember anything about it.
"Oh, isn't there a music competition like that? I thought it was some huge competition since you said it was overseas."
My aunt slyly laughed and picked up her chopsticks. It was a time when there was almost no awareness of classical competitions. In the past, there were times when Korean musicians won prizes in international competitions but there was not a single article about it. Starting with Baek Jeong-hoon, who won second place in the Chopin Competition, it gradually became known, but there were still many people who thought of classical music as just an expensive hobby.
Ding dong.
Just then the doorbell rang.
"Oh, the newspaper has arrived."
The housekeeper who was preparing the food was about to leave in a hurry.
"Ma'am, I'll be back soon."
It seems that he received the order firmly, as Yoo Jin-seok immediately stood up from his seat. His aunt looked at him with great pleasure. How much time had passed?
"Okay, Grandpa!"
Yu Jin-seok was running towards him, startled, holding the morning paper in his hands. Grandfather accepted the paper and smiled silently. Soon, my aunt and uncle opened their eyes wide.
My face was huge on the front page of none other than the newspaper.