Professor Lee Chan-ho continued speaking, tapping his foot lightly on the floor as if trying to quiet the slightly noisy room.
"Of course, there are piano duets, but the purpose of this assignment is for the future children who will play with the orchestra to practice performing with others. So, please organize the groups to play with different instruments."
Professor Lee Chan-ho stepped down from the podium, bowed to a child, and spoke.
"Your name is Yoo Seok-ho, right?"
After the boy nodded slightly after looking at his mother, Lee Chan-ho looked at the audience and continued speaking.
"Seok-ho is a cellist. Which competition did you win?"
When Professor Lee Chan-ho held out the microphone and gestured for the boy to speak, the boy hesitated and spoke.
"I won first place in the Gyeonggi Gyeonghyang Music Competition."
"I see, does that competition also have a concerto in the final round?"
"Yes, that's right."
"What music did you play in the finals?"
"This is the Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85."
"I see. If it's a cello concerto, Edward Elgar?"
"Yes, professor."
Professor Lee Chan-ho patted Seok-ho's head as if expressing gratitude, then straightened his back and looked at the parents.
"There is a restriction on this assignment. That is, you cannot perform music by a musician who has won a competition."
The parents were in an uproar again.
"No, I gave it my all just so the kids could practice three or four songs for the competition, and you're telling me they can't do it?" "Isn't this too much? My son only practiced to win a prize in the competition." "Since you said it's not a competition, let's listen. It seems like homework they give to teach the children well."
"Okay, let's be quiet," the professor said. As the parents who had raised their complaints backed down with glaring looks, Professor Lee Chan-ho smiled and snapped his fingers. "Thank you for speaking on my behalf. I have emphasized it many times, but this is not a competition, it is homework. Of course, the students gathered here will watch and appreciate each other's performances, but there will be no audience. The only audience will be the students and the teachers. This is just homework. So you can rest assured."
'Is it really just homework? No, it won't be. This is the job of separating the children from the jewels, those with the skills that the school can promote, according to the rankings at the beginning of the semester.'
The parents realized it, but no one said anything. Everyone seemed to believe that they were the only ones who had realized it and that no one else would. Among the parents who were looking at each other uneasily, there was someone who was visibly bewildered. To her surprise, it was Ji-ye, Soo-hyun's guardian. She heard his voice and remembered the conversation she had had with Soo-hyun on the way to school a while ago.
'Why do you only play Chopin and Liszt?''Well, I just like them.''Don't you like other songs?''To be honest, I've never heard of it.''You don't know how to play Chopin? Why don't you play Liszt?''Wait, have you ever heard Soo-hyun play a Liszt song? No, no! I just heard that he does.'
Ji-ye kept watching Soo-hyun's expression as if she were anxious. But Soo-hyun just looked at Professor Lee Chan-ho with an expressionless face. Ji-ye's anxiety was also transmitted to her parents. This was because many parents had been keeping an eye on Soo-hyun from before to win him over. Jaehee and Jaehee's father could hear their whispers.
"Look at Soo-hyun. Doesn't she look very anxious?" "Could it be that Soo-hyun also practiced Chopin day and night to participate in the Chopin Competition?" "It's understandable. Even if it's a children's competition, it's an international competition. To win, you might have to sing Chopin like a madman." "So, would it be bad if Soohyun and our son became a team?" "Hey, wouldn't it be okay if I practice a little?"
'There's an absolute physical time difference between practicing a piece you know from the beginning and practicing a score you know nothing about. Reducing the time it takes to get used to a song only creates more time to perfect the collaboration.'
Jaehee's father also seemed a little worried about Soo-hyun. His daughter, Jaehee, was not one to just listen to one composer's music. She was one to learn everything, so her father worried more about Soo-hyun than his daughter. When Professor Lee Chan-ho finished his welcoming remarks and the event came to an end, the parents looked at each other. They confirmed that Ji-ye still seemed restless and uneasy, so they didn't approach Soo-hyun easily.
"Your son is majoring in clarinet, right? My son is majoring in viola. Are you joining us?" "You're the winner of the National Children's Musical Instrument Competition, right? My son studies flute and won last year. What do you think? Are you joining us?"
The competition was run by the children, but the sales were run by the adults. The parents paired their children as they pleased. No one approached Jaehee, who was wearing ragged clothes. Perhaps those who failed to form a team would be the next to look for her. Jaehee's father, who had been watching them in silence, looked at his daughter.
"Jaehee."
"…?"
"Who does Jaehee want to do it with?"
Jaehee quietly turned her head towards Soo-hyun. Her father smiled radiantly.
"Soo-hyun?"
She nodded, nodded. The father's smile deepened.
'Yes, that's a true friend.'
"Okay, so should we go to Soo-hyun's house?"
She nodded, nodded. A silent girl stood up, holding her father's hand. At the same time, Ji-ye carefully asked Soo-hyun as she watched his expression.
"I… Soo-hyun."
"Yes."
Soo-hyun stretched with a slightly bored expression on his face.
"I can't play Chopin's music… Are there any violin or cello concertos by Franz Liszt?"
"There's an orchestra, a piano duo, and a piano trio."
"So what about the viola or the clarinet?"
"No."
"Oh, really? Then there must be instruments like horns, tubas, and trumpets, right? Seriously, haha. There must be music by someone like Franz Liszt, right?"
Soo-hyun shrugged.
"No, it's nothing like that. He's the one who believes the piano is the best in the world."
Soo-hyun spoke as if he knew the person. Ji-ye said, touching her temples as if she had a headache.
"So what should I do…?"
"I just do it, you know?"
Ji-ye sighed deeply. Soo-hyun smiled slightly as he looked at Ji-ye.
'Don't worry, Sister. One of my teachers, Uncle Franz, always emphasized sight-reading. He practiced for seven years by bringing me a piece of music I had never seen and having me play it immediately. Of course, if it's a song with an extremely high level of difficulty, it will be difficult to play it correctly from the beginning, but with a little time, it's definitely possible.'
In addition, although Soo-hyun herself did not know it, the children could not be bewildered by the song they were playing. Soo-hyun stretched her back, crossed her arms, and relaxed her stiff body. Then she saw Jaehee approaching, holding her father's hand. Soo-hyun smiled brightly, got up from his seat, and greeted Jaehee's father.
"Hello, sir."
When Soo-hyun greeted her, Ji-ye, who had been bowing her head, stood up awkwardly.
"Jae, Jaehee's father."
Jaehee's father said, pulling Jaehee's hand.
"Our Jaehee wants to do it with Soo-hyun. What do you think?"
Soo-hyun looked at Jaehee. A girl with her head bowed in embarrassment and her bangs still covered. Soo-hyun winked at the girl and said.
"Did Jaehee say that?"
"Yes. That's what happened."
When Soo-hyun approached Jaehee, he bent down and brought his face close to his, Jaehee flinched and stepped back.
"Do you want to be with me?"
A beautiful boy's face approached Jaehee's covered eyes. My heart was pounding, my mind was racing, and I couldn't see it, but my face must have turned red. Jaehee nodded her head quickly and hid behind her father. Still, seeing Jaehee express her thoughts, Soo-hyun put his hand on her waist and looked at the parents who were forming teams among themselves. Then he looked at Jaehee again and said.
"No one is coming to us, right?"
Jaehee slowly poked her head out, looked around, and nodded again. Soo-hyun said with a mischievous smile.
"Then we should do it ourselves. Bring your violin home. We can't move the piano. Understood?"
Jaehee nodded, but she kept tilting her head as if she was curious about something. Jaehee's father noticed his daughter's question and intervened to ask.
"But Soo-hyun, we have to decide what song to play first."
Soo-hyun nodded towards Jaehee and said.
"I'll leave it to Jaehee. Could you choose a few songs you like and bring the sheet music up?"
Jaehee's father looked surprised.
'What kind of confidence is this? Could it be that all the parents, including herself, were deceived? No, Ji-ye's expression was really bewildered. So is there something Ji-ye doesn't know?'
"Seriously… are you okay with that?"
"Yes, it's fine. I'm hungry, little sister."
Jiye stood up quickly and packed her bag.
"Huh? Oh, oh, okay, let's go eat. Do you want to go out to eat?"
"No, it's home-cooked food."
"Okay, I'll go make you something to eat right now."
Ji-ye was about to take Soo-hyun's hand, but then she stopped and bowed politely as she thought of Jaehee's father.
"Thank you for teaming up with Soo-hyun, Jaehee's father."
Jaehee's father waved his hand and said.
"No, we have to help each other and live together. We're neighbors and our children are friends. Hehe."
Soo-hyun turned his head and smiled.
'Who's helping whom?'
An hour later at Jaehee's house. After my parents divorced, things at home were a mess for a while. Although Jaehee, who was somewhat dignified, helped a lot with the housework with her father, who came to his senses a little late, just like any house without a mother, no matter how well you clean, the house feels a little empty and dirty without your mother's meticulous care. Jaehee sat in front of the computer, resting her chin on her hand and tapping her fingers on the desk as she looked at the musical scores displayed on the screen.
'What song should I choose? The first ones that come to mind are Schubert and Brahms. David Oistrakh, the great 20th-century violinist whom Jaehee most respects, also performed these pieces during his later years. Schubert tells the story with a bright expression, as if singing, while Brahms tells the story with suppressed emotions and hidden stories, with a unique intonation and elegant tone. Choosing a song is not difficult. The question is whether Soo-hyun can understand it and play it quickly. You shouldn't choose a song that is too difficult. If you do, Soo-hyun will panic.'
As the girl's worries grew, Jaehee's father brought the side dishes sent by his grandmother from the countryside in another container and said.
"Have you chosen?"
She shook her head.
"Isn't it difficult? But let's trust Soo-hyun. Jaehee heard her play too, right?"
She nodded, nodded.
"Soo-hyun will do well. Our Jaehee can help him a lot, right?"
She nodded, nodded.
"Haha, our Jaehee is so kind. Don't worry too much, choose a few songs and come up. Dad will go with you. I'll also give you some side dishes."
Jaehee nodded again, took a deep breath, thought about it a little more, picked a few songs, printed them out, and went to Soo-hyun's house.