For The Musical Genius (Novel) - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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There’s a smell of oil in the air.

It’s a scent I often encountered in my childhood. The solvent used for dry cleaning. The cheaper solvents always had a strong petroleum smell. Having breathed it in so many times in that tiny laundry shop, barely 300 square feet, the scent remained vivid in my mind even decades later. In fact, it was the last smell that pierced my nostrils before death…

Yet now, that smell I so despised in my childhood brings nostalgia.

Death wasn’t painful. I only feel sorry for the subway conductor. I hope they don’t carry any guilt. If there’s one regret from my ended life, it’s not seeing my parents. I was too cruel to my father, a simple country man who lived only for his son. All things considered, death came peacefully. It even felt soft, like lying on a blanket.

At that moment.

“Hyun-ah, time to wake up!”

With a mysterious voice.

A cold breeze hit my face. I carefully opened my eyes halfway. The incandescent light was blinding, and I could see the wallpaper that had turned yellow like ginkgo leaves. Belatedly, the oil smell pierced my nose riding on the wind. I turned my head to identify the voice’s owner and my eyes widened.

Ah, ah…

The white hair had returned to its dark color, and the wrinkled face was now as beautiful as a young maiden’s. Even the age spots that were once so prominent were gone. That beloved face. Although it was from decades ago. I felt tears flowing endlessly. Though this must be a final vision at death’s door, I never expected the tears to feel so hot.

Just once.

If only I could hug her just once.

That’s when.

“Son, what’s wrong?”

Mother comforted me with wide rabbit-like eyes. Then her warm hand stroked my head. Tears soaked the blanket thoroughly as my heart pounded heavily. I had lived a life of filial impiety. I never thought I’d face mother at death’s end. Like a baby again, I sobbed and hugged mother with all my might.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry, Mother.

Those words kept spinning in my mouth.

* * *

I had returned to the past.

It took a week before I could accept the fact that I had returned to the past. While it sounds like something from a sci-fi novel, this wasn’t just a figment of memory. Everything was vivid and felt alive. Cherry blossoms announcing spring’s arrival bloomed brilliantly, brightening my eyes. How ironic. To return to the time I missed most from death’s door.

“Thank you.”

I said, looking at the sky. My life had been full of regrets. I thought I had lived successfully, but stripped of vanity, it was more hollow than anyone’s. I won’t regret again. I vowed again and again not to waste this gift from whoever was in heaven. As if responding to my pledge, an unknown bird crossing the sky made a wide turn.

“Kang Hyun, come get your midterm report card.”

A teacher with short sporty hair and a square jaw. His name Kang Bong-du matched his upright appearance. I stood up, adjusting my cumbersome uniform. It was loose for my build. This wasn’t just true for Kang Hyun. It had been barely three months since entering middle school. Most students their age chose larger uniforms thinking of future growth.

“Hey, study harder from now on.”

Kang Bong-du clicked his tongue while handing over the report card. Kang Hyun accepted it with a gloomy expression. The grades were so poor they made a mockery of his previous life’s nickname as a study maniac. Someone who didn’t know better might mistake him for being on a sports team.

‘Tsk.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly, just like the homeroom teacher. My obsession with studying began in my second year of middle school. While this was clearly still a time to stay away from studying, I felt somewhat uneasy. I was once Kang Hyun, the study maniac whom even the top students acknowledged while shaking their heads in disbelief. Though a week had passed since returning to the past, these failing grades felt more unfamiliar than my smaller physique.

“Hyun-ah, won’t you join our club?”

It was a boy who still had his baby fat. Kang Hyun checked the nameplate on his chest. ‘Kim Dae-woo’ – a friend he used to hang out with quite often in elementary school. The only person who had truly been a friend in Kang Hyun’s life of poor relationships. Of course, that too had faded with time.

“Hey, you’re not still mad because I didn’t lend you my game console, are you?”

“What?”

“You haven’t come to our class once this week. I told you then too, I couldn’t lend it because it was my cousin’s…”

Kim Dae-woo looked quite wronged. Apparently, there had been some trouble with my past self. I hadn’t sought him out for a week.

“I’m not angry.”

“Then join our club!”

“Club?”

Kim Dae-woo nodded vigorously with a quick smile. The younger you are, the faster your emotions change. Especially when it’s something you like. I couldn’t help but smile seeing his chubby cheeks bounce as he nodded.

“Classic!”

Kim Dae-woo proudly announced the club name. As the name suggested, it was a music-related club. Come to think of it.

“Hyun, you used to play violin in elementary school!”

I remembered. Learning violin by chance during after-school lessons in elementary school.

Mother was overjoyed about it. Saying it was her childhood dream to be a violinist too. But it didn’t last long. Not only did I lack talent for music, but we also didn’t have money for lessons.

“I’ll pass.”

I shook my head. This life was like a second chance. I couldn’t waste time on music where I had no talent.

“Then let’s go to the arcade after school!”

Come to think of it,

I used to frequent the arcade in my first year of middle school. With Kim Dae-woo, no less. Though I was obsessed with arcades back then, it was different now. My body might be young, but my mind was that of a worn middle-aged man.

“I’ll pass.”

“What? Are you really the Kang Hyun I know…?”

Kim Dae-woo narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kang Hyun. Kang Hyun had changed considerably in just a few days. His behavior and speech had become remarkably refined compared to a week ago, and even his gaze was different. It was like an uncle looking at his nephew.

“Then what are you going to do!”

At Kim Dae-woo’s angry question, I thought of my report card. Even though it was just a middle school midterm.

These grades had scratched my pride as someone once called a study maniac. If there was any consolation, it was that first-year middle school grades wouldn’t affect high school admissions. I answered briefly.

“Study.”

* * *

“Son, take it easy.”

Worry creased the face of mother, Mrs. Yu Hyun-ja.

Her son had changed so drastically over the past few weeks.

The son who always treated the arcade like his second home.

The son who used to hate the dry cleaning shop with its single room, complaining about the oil smell.

Yet in just a few days, his childish demeanor had all but disappeared. Not just his way of speaking, but his behavior had become mature. Worried about his parents’ hardship, he ran around the neighborhood with his small body collecting laundry.

And that wasn’t all. After dinner, he sat at his small desk with no intention of getting up. For hours now, he had been clutching his study guide without leaving his seat. Mrs. Yu Hyun-ja’s face was filled with complex emotions.

“Honey, you didn’t secretly feed something strange to Hyun, did you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, I’ve never seen Hyun study like this in my life.”

“This child.”

Father and mother had a close relationship. Father wasn’t the stern figure I remembered. He liked to joke around and loved hiking with his son more than anything. The stern appearance from my memories must have been shaped because of me. My heart ached needlessly.

“Hyun-ah, time for bed.”

“Yes, father.”

“My, now our Hyun is even calling me father. Tomorrow the sun might rise in the west. Hehehe.”

It was a single room. Since it was small enough to be filled when three people lay down, father’s laughter was particularly clear. Though I was too old to sleep between father and mother, it felt good. The comfort was incomparable. Even more so than sleeping in any luxurious mansion.

“Turn your test papers face down, and know that if you’re caught cheating, I’ll tear up your test right there. Everyone be prepared.”

The final exam day had arrived. Kang Bong-du moved between the desks, watching the students while giving his usual warnings. How much time had passed?

Thump.

He stopped at one student’s desk. Kang Bong-du’s square jaw twitched and his eyes narrowed. Just five minutes after distributing the test papers. While most were still struggling with the first page, one student had already moved on to the second. He solved problems so quickly that it made one wonder if he was even reading the passages.

‘Sigh.’

Kang Bong-du let out an internal sigh after checking the student’s face. It was Kang Hyun. The one who had ranked last in the class during midterms. Of course, he must be writing nonsense on this test too. Even though first-year grades don’t affect high school admissions, should he be solving problems like this? He wanted to scold him harshly, but couldn’t because of the other students seriously taking the test.

Meanwhile.

‘Easy.’

Kang Hyun was marking his answers. To others, it might look like he was guessing rather than solving, but it was that easy. He had once stood at the pinnacle of Korea’s entrance exam war. Moreover, he had passed the notoriously difficult bar exam on his first try, known for requiring extreme memorization. His concentration and perseverance were already unmatched. Middle school level problems were like swimming while touching the ground.

Tick tock.

Though there were barely any pages left in the test, the clock’s second hand kept moving steadily. Just twenty minutes into the test, other students were still concentrating on solving math problems. While checking the time, Kang Hyun turned his head and met eyes with Kang Bong-du.

What’s this?

Kang Bong-du’s eyes blazed. His look seemed to say “just wait until after the test.” In the past, Kang Hyun might have avoided the tiger teacher’s gaze in fear, but having been a prosecutor for many years, he wasn’t scared. Rather than intimidating, the teacher who once seemed so adult-like now just looked young. Kang Hyun briefly met Kang Bong-du’s gaze before turning away. Hehehe. Just wait and see, I’ll make you fall over in surprise.

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