Chapter 51
"Soo-hyun, let's start by studying the fundamentals of human emotions."
'Studying again.' Soo-hyun, who studied all day and only rested by playing the piano, was tired of the word "study." However, this was a lesson the old men had told him he must learn. For Soo-hyun, this was the time to learn how to play the piano better. Overcoming his aversion, he pulled his chair closer. Teacher Kim Eun-joo smiled.
"In psychology, there are typically six basic emotions: joy, sadness, disgust, surprise, anger, and fear. Have you ever seen the animated series 'Inside'?"
"No."
Kim Eun-joo adjusted her glasses, a little embarrassed. For a moment, she had forgotten Soo-hyun's situation.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Anyway, in that cartoon, five emotions live in the protagonist's heart. What emotions has Soo-hyun experienced so far that he can accurately describe?"
Soo-hyun was lost in thought for a moment.
'What could it be? First of all, sadness is inevitable. Isn't longing just an emotion within the category of sadness? I think it was probably sadness.'
"Is that all?"
"Maybe."
"Wasn't there any joy?"
"What is that?"
"Hmm…," Kim Eun-joo said after looking at a report from Ji-ye. "You may have already felt it, but perhaps you don't know it. Here it is. Wow! Our Soo-hyun won the International Chopin Competition! When you were there at the final awards ceremony, amidst the audience's applause, how did you feel? Didn't you feel as if your body was floating and you couldn't help but laugh?"
Soo-hyun bit his lower lip as he thought about that moment.
"I was sad."
"…Huh?"
"I was sad."
Kim Eun-joo, being an expert, took a deep breath and asked.
"Ah, I see? What made Soo-hyun sad?"
"The congratulations and bouquets that the other children received from their parents."
"I see. So Soo-hyun didn't receive any flowers?"
Soo-hyun's expression, which had looked a little sad, improved slightly. Eun-joo Kim's sharp gaze did not miss it.
"I did get them."
"Wow! I see. Who gave them to you?"
"Ji-ye."
"Really? As expected, she's a good older sister. I heard she quit her job to stay by your side."
"Yes, that's right. I'll always be grateful to her."
Kim Eun-joo snapped her fingers.
"Yes. When Ji-ye gave you the flowers, when she said she would leave the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to join you, do you remember that time?"
'Me, standing under the bright lights, shedding tears while receiving everyone's attention. Ji-ye, so nervous her legs were trembling, nevertheless came out holding the flowers and handed them over. Ji-ye, polishing her shoes in front of the shoe rack, smiling and saying she would submit her resignation today. Ji-ye, thanking me for being happy for her, who was excited about the news that we would be together in the future.''Wait, joy? At that time, my sister thanked me for making her happy. I remember my older sister saying at that time that that feeling was joy.'
Soo-hyun looked at Kim Eun-ju. She smiled brightly and said, perhaps realizing that Soo-hyun had already concluded that this was an emotion he had experienced in his heart.
"That's joy. Of course, there are big joys and small joys. But joy itself, big or small, is a very beneficial emotion. The more you experience these things in the future, the better your life will be."
Soo-hyun nodded. But he also had a question.
"You said before that you divided psychological emotions into six types, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Joy, sadness, disgust, surprise, anger, fear. Is that it? But, teacher, aren't all the emotions we humans feel, except for joy, negative emotions? If only one of the six emotions is positive, it would be difficult to feel it much and live."
Kim Eun-joo said with a smile.
"That's right, that's why life is so difficult. We'll learn about it next time, but dividing human emotions into six categories is a huge category. If we break it down a little more, it's divided into 27 categories."
"There are quite a few."
"Actually, there are many more. They are admiration, awe, aesthetic appreciation, amusement, anxiety, awkwardness, boredom, calmness, confusion, craving, disgust, empathic pain, entrancement, envy, excitement, fear, horror, interest, joy, nostalgia, romance, sadness, satisfaction, sexual desire, sympathy, and triumph."
Eun-ju Kim looked at her watch as she gathered the documents she had prepared.
"There are so many emotions, right? We'll learn them one by one, little by little. Soo-hyun, until we meet next time, can you think about which emotions we should study next? I'll tell you the emotions you want to learn first. Okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The class with Kim Eun-ju was better than he thought. On his way home, Soo-hyun stopped by a bookstore to buy a book for the old men. After a quick look, he opened the bathroom door. As always, the temperature was warm, very different from the Korean winter. Soo-hyun opened the door to the log cabin and saw it was empty.
"Oh, are they at the Zelkova Piano Stage?"
He headed there with the book under his arm. As expected, Franz was sitting at the piano, not playing, but silently contemplating one of the six zelkova trees. Soo-hyun was about to call out to him when he was startled to see the roots of the tree Franz was looking at moving.
'What, what's going on?'
The roots of the huge tree were expanding, revealing a hole in the ground. A dark staircase appeared between the roots. Then Franz stood up.
"Why are you so late? You know how much he hates to wait."
'Who is he talking to? He's alone here.'
At that moment, footsteps were heard coming from the stairs, and at the same time, a very familiar voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry. The air was so nice I lost track of time while playing."
'Uncle Frederick? Why are you coming out of the basement?'
Soo-hyun hid in the forest without realizing it.
'Come to think of it, this is Uncle Franz's house. Since Uncle Frederick was always here, I never wondered where he came from. Is that the path that leads to his house?'
Franz sat at the piano and rolled his eyes.
"If he gets angry, it's your fault."
"Haha, I see. It's been six years since I came to greet him. I don't think he'll be angry. Hurry up and open the way."
'Open the way? Does that mean the roots of another tree will open up?'
Franz opened the lid of the piano keyboard and prepared to play.
'What are you doing?'
As Franz closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Frederick said,
"You know he can hear it too, right? If you don't play it well the first time, he'll scold you."
As Franz, who was focused, stared at his friend, Frederick smiled and stepped back. Franz's hands, now focused again, moved slowly. But it was strange. He was playing with a straight back and minimal movements, not his usual dazzling style. And then, Soo-hyun heard Franz's performance. As expected of Master Franz, as soon as the performance began, his poem resonated in Soo-hyun's mind.
Dark night,The faint moonlight shining,Blending with the color of the black lake water.A small boat floats in the middle of a waveless lake.Filled with moonlight dancing.The song of the water as the boat drifts.Everything is quiet, calm.It is a beautiful and quiet moonlit night.
'I don't know what song it is. But it's a lyrical and stable song that can't be expressed simply by saying it's good. I want to play it.'
At that moment, he saw the tree next to the one Frederick had come out of shake and open its roots. Once again, a path to somewhere opened up. Frederick watched his friend play with his arms crossed, then saw the staircase open and smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Frederick burst out laughing at the sight of Franz, who had finished playing, going down the stairs with tense shoulders, as if to say that this was the most natural thing to do. The two people disappeared down the stairs of the zelkova tree.
Soo-hyun ran to check, but the staircase that had swallowed the men had already disappeared. The two zelkova trees, with their clean roots, acted as if nothing had happened.
"Where did you go…?"
He sat on the piano bench and tried to remember the melody, but he couldn't. After struggling at the Zelkova Piano Stage for about two hours, Soo-hyun put the books he had brought on the bed in Franz's log cabin and returned home, where Ji-ye was waiting for him.
"Nam Soo-hyun! Why are you so late? I was worried and was about to go look for you! I called Teacher Kim Eun-joo and she said you've been out for over two hours!"
"Oh, Sister. I'm sorry. I was reading a book."
"And your phone?"
When Soo-hyun took his cell phone out of his sweater pocket, he saw that he had ten missed calls. Seven were from Ji-ye, two from Chan-ho Lee, and one from Eun-ju Kim.
Ji-ye shook her head and said with a glare.
"The professor and the teacher are calling because they're worried about you. I'll make you something to eat."
"Yes. I'm sorry, Sister."
Soo-hyun first called Kim Eun-joo and informed her of the situation, and then he called Professor Lee Chan-ho. When Lee Chan-ho heard the explanation that he didn't know the phone call was because he was looking at books in the bookstore, he said it was okay.
"Yes, that can happen when you get lost in a book. I do that a lot too, and my wife scolds me for it. Haha."
"Excuse me, Professor. May I ask you a question?"
"Well, it's not like a professor avoids a student's questions. Go ahead."
Soo-hyun sang the melody he had memorized.
"This song goes like this… tan-da-dan… tan-da-dan-dan-dan-dan… Do you know what song this is?"
[…]
"Don't you know, Professor?"
[Soo-hyun.]
"Yes?"
[I know you don't know much about anything other than Chopin and Liszt, but this was a bit too much.]
'Is it a famous song? Hey, when will I receive the audio system that Chairman Park Ki-jun sent me?'
Professor Lee Chan-ho said, clicking his tongue.
[Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, 'Moonlight'.]
"Whose song is this?"
The sound of Professor Lee Chan-ho sighing was heard.
[Ludwig van Beethoven. Also known as the 'Moonlight Sonata'. The most beloved sonata in the world.]
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