For The Musical Genius (Novel) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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Boom!

The sound of a horn echoes, loud and clear.

It was a successful life.

Isn’t there a saying that a dragon rises from a humble beginning? It was a proverb that fit me perfectly. My parents spent their entire lives doing laundry for others. They raised me in a small laundry shop, no more than 20 square meters, with hands that were always bruised. However, I didn’t like my parents’ job. It was something I wanted to hide, like a shameful secret. The smell of oil, which was common in the laundry shop, was as detestable as the smell of grease.

“Hyun-ah, take your lunchbox!”

“Okay.”

My mother prepared my lunch every morning. However, I never took the lunchbox with me. The side dishes were always the same: anchovy stir-fry, lotus root salad, and overripe kimchi. I hated these dishes as much as I hated the smell of oil. It was better to replace my meals with bread and milk from the school store.

I studied relentlessly. From a young age, I had a strong desire for material wealth. I didn’t want to define the limits of my life in that small laundry shop. I was called a “genius” because I studied so hard, to the point of death. The saying “friends for life” was nonsense to me. Human relationships were something I had trampled on long ago. My only friends were study books.

-3rd Year, Class 7, Kang Hyun, Accepted into the Law Department of Korea University-

It was the moment I put a period on my entrance exam life. Seeing the banner in front of the school gate, my mother wiped away tears. Even my stoic father had moist eyes. Everyone congratulated me on my acceptance into Korea University. I took pictures with teachers I wasn’t close to, and I heard countless words of praise for my hard work. But it was all just a dream. I thought differently. This was just the beginning, the first step towards my new life.

“The topic is the principle of proportionality in sentencing.”

This was the topic for the third round of the judicial examination group interview. Proportionality in sentencing refers to the situation where the sentence is too light or too heavy compared to the content of the crime or the damage caused by the crime.

The eyes of the professors on the interview panel were piercing.

There are a hundred thoughts for a hundred people, and a thousand thoughts for a thousand people. Law is also something created by human hands. If a judge has a narrow perspective rather than a correct one, the judgment will also be different. The court’s judgment is not eternal. However,

“While studying law, I had many doubts. I couldn’t understand the judgments of senior judges, and I sometimes thought they were wrong. But through my studies, I realized the arrogance of a young law student. Over time, I came to understand the judgments of the court and the true hearts of my senior colleagues in the legal profession.”

It wasn’t a perfect answer, but the corners of the professors’ mouths rose.

I was also called a “genius” among the judicial training institute students. Even among the top students, I never missed being at the top. The judicial training institute was like a gateway to a new life. With excellent grades, I also received secret offers.

“Do you know about Jeil Group?”

This was the professor’s question. Who doesn’t know about Jeil Group?

There’s a saying called “Jeil Republic.” It’s the pinnacle of the business world in South Korea.

Especially for job seekers, it was known as a dream workplace. There was even an old saying that if you get a job at Jeil Group, your marriage path will be paved, and there will be a neighborhood festival.

“Why don’t you become a Jeil Group scholar?”

“Scholar” is a figurative expression.

To put it bluntly, the question was whether I would become Jeil Group’s dog.

I felt my heart racing uncontrollably. It was the offer I had been waiting for. It didn’t matter if I became a dog; as long as I could become a part of Jeil Group.

That evening.

Beethoven Symphony No. 9, 4th Movement

I listened to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, ‘Choral’ 4th Movement. The grand and thrilling hymn of joy. Starting with the strings, the chorus resounds like the intensity of percussion. This piece, composed by Beethoven who had lost his hearing, conveys the passion of human victory. I used to like classical music when I was young, but I gave it up early because I had no talent. Moreover, classical music doesn’t make money in Korea.

Freude, schöner Götterfunken! Götterfunken!

Freude, schöner Götterfunken! Tochter aus Elysium!

[T/N- The quote above is the opening line of “Ode to Joy,” a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785. The poem was later used by Ludwig van Beethoven in his Ninth Symphony. 

English Translation of the Poem- Joy! A spark of fire from heaven,

Daughter from Elysium.]

As I listened to the chorus’s loud cry, I closed my eyes. This was the start of my new life.

It would be true to say that I was on a smooth path. After graduating from the judicial training institute, I worked as a prosecutor at the Western District Prosecutors’ Office. For over a decade, I handled Jeil Group’s secrets as a prosecutor. It would be more accurate to say that I protected Jeil Group rather than upholding the law and justice. An apartment with a view of the Han River is not something a prosecutor’s salary can afford. It was all thanks to Jeil Group.

“Son, are you doing well?”

My mother’s voice was weak. It had been over a decade since I last visited my hometown. Occasionally, my parents came to Seoul with food, but even that was hard for me to face. When I got married, I didn’t even have a proper meeting with my in-laws. My wife was the daughter of a city council member, a so-called “gold spoon.”

“I’ll send you some money.”

“Son, it’s not about that…”

“I’m busy, so I’ll hang up first.”

I quickly ended the call. I thought that sending money to my parents every month was a way to show my filial duty. However, my parents didn’t leave the laundry shop they loved. But I still hated the smell of oil.

I left the Western District Prosecutors’ Office as a deputy chief prosecutor.

It was to join Jeil Group. Most people looked at me with envious eyes. Soon, I was working as the head of Jeil Group’s legal team, washing away all sorts of irregularities for Jeil Group, day and night.

“Kang-seo, why don’t you aim for politics now?”

This was the order from my father-in-law, a three-term congressman. Jeil Group also welcomed it with open arms. If their dog could take charge of a part of the government, it would be very beneficial.

“The funding issue will be handled by Jeil, and your family background is quite poor, right?”

“Yes?”

“People don’t like the saying ‘a dragon rises from a humble beginning’ because it’s not true for them. You are exactly that, rising from a poor household where people used to do needlework. Let’s highlight your difficult childhood for publicity.”

My father-in-law openly despised me. He saw me as just a dog adopted by Jeil Group to maintain a close relationship.

But that didn’t last long.

In the process of preparing for my entry into politics,

I found out that I had terminal pancreatic cancer. I had thought it was just indigestion. The doctor said that the progression of the cancer was the same from the early to mid-stages, but at the terminal stage, there would be sudden changes in the body. As evidence, my weight had dropped drastically, and my face was filled with jaundice.

Jeil Group no longer wanted me. Neither did my father-in-law. My entry into politics became a joke, and my wife proceeded with the divorce as if she had been waiting for it. Of course, I wouldn’t receive any alimony. I could have fought it legally, but I didn’t have the time anymore.

Thud.

My footsteps were heavy, as if someone was pulling my legs back. The doctor recommended chemotherapy, but I didn’t take it. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in the hospital.

“Son, are you doing well?”

My mother’s voice brought tears to my eyes.

“I’m doing well…”

“Son, why does your voice sound so bad? Is it because you’re busy?”

“No, I’ll come down soon.”

I quickly ended the call. I wanted to see my parents’ faces one last time, even from a distance. I headed to the subway to go to Seoul Station. It was a subway I hadn’t taken since my school days, and it had changed a lot over the decades.

The sound of loud laughter filled the air.

There were high school girls carrying large cello and violin cases. Their young faces didn’t match the calluses on their fingers. I used to love music just as much when I was young. It was a memory from a very distant past…

[The subway is now entering Noryangjin Station.]

With the sound of the subway approaching, everyone stepped back from the yellow safety line. A drunk man stumbled into view.

“Ah, ah…”

Someone shouted,

Boom!

It happened in an instant. The drunk man fell onto the tracks.

The drunk man, now a mess, didn’t seem to care that the tracks were like a bed. People watched the scene, hesitating to act. But why?

I kicked my foot. I had lived a selfish life, but it was as if I was possessed. I ran towards the tracks, and my heavy body felt light for the first time in years. The strong smell of alcohol from the drunk man pierced my nostrils.

“Sir…”

As I pushed the drunk man to the side of the tracks, a girl carrying a violin case shouted, her eyes wide open. At that moment,

Boom!

The sound of the horn echoed, loud and clear.

The dim light of the approaching subway was now right in front of me. People’s shocked gazes filled my vision, and some closed their eyes tightly.

But why, at that moment, did I think of this?

Freude, schöner Götterfunken! Götterfunken!

Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium!

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, ‘Choral.’

—

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