For The Musical Genius (Novel) - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Read it only at Utoon.net!
Discord         

“The Maestro is more passionate than usual.”

Emmanuel, the London Symphony’s principal cellist, was loosening his bow hand. They had practiced for so long that his arm was slightly trembling. Though there was still quite some time until the Asian tour, the orchestra members’ practice showed no signs of stopping under Spencer’s perfect conducting.

“Dmitri, did something good happen to the Maestro?”

Emmanuel carefully asked the concertmaster Dmitri. Within the orchestra, only the concertmaster was uniquely able to converse with the Maestro. However, the response was as cold as his icy eyes.

“Why do you think that?”

“He’s different from usual, isn’t he? Far from scolding members who hit wrong notes, he’s even giving them chances. Look at the other members, most seem unable to adjust.”

Dmitri nodded briefly. As Emmanuel said, the Maestro’s demeanor had notably changed. If in the past he was infinitely sharp and seemed likely to cut, now he was as soft as down. Even his baton, which used to slash through beats severely, appeared buoyant.

“The Maestro seems to be looking forward to the Asian tour.”

“The Asian tour?”

Emmanuel didn’t understand. Asia wasn’t a region that primarily engaged with classical music. Moreover, Korea was known as a classical music wasteland. Rather, the members were puzzled that the Maestro had chosen Korea instead of Japan.

At that moment.

“Perhaps the Maestro’s muse is there.”

Dmitri rose from his seat. Though casually spoken, the members didn’t let it slide. Some were even shocked enough to widen their eyes. A muse for the Maestro, who was obsessive about seeing the end of melodies and thoroughly perfectionist? And in Asia?

It made no sense.

At that time.

Spencer was alone in the conductor’s room watching a video. It was a tape recording of the London performance. Spencer’s eyes gleamed as he watched the screen. He scrutinized the members’ appearances as if not tolerating even a single mistake.

Knock knock.

With the knock, the London Symphony’s longtime security guard came looking for him.

“I apologize, Maestro. Since you were resting in your room…”

The security guard immediately bowed his head upon seeing Spencer’s flashing eyes, but Spencer waved it off and stood up. He had gone into the room saying he would rest, but it ended up different from his words.

“It’s fine, Joseph. What is it?”

“A letter has arrived for you, Maestro.”

“A letter?”

It was a small letter in a white envelope.

That’s when.

Spencer’s expression changed as he checked the letter’s origin.

“Maestro?”

The eyes of Joseph, the London Symphony’s longtime security guard, widened. In over 20 years of facing Spencer, this had never happened. To see the Maestro smiling so brightly – everyone said the Maestro had changed, and it was true.

*

“It must have arrived?”

The sky after the monsoon cleared was pristinely clear. Since it was sent by special delivery, the mail should have reached not only Japan but England by now. As I was coming out of the bathroom with a towel around my neck after washing up.

“Student Kang Hyun.”

The housekeeper carefully stopped me.

“Ma’am, what is all this?”

An obviously expensive-looking suit.

“The master asked me to prepare clothes for student Kang Hyun.”

Grandfather?

Grandfather showed me the morning newspaper as breakfast was ending. While occasionally catching my attention with the printed words, soon a large headline decorating the front page caught my eye.

A chaebol family wedding. It wasn’t strange for it to occupy the current affairs page, as it was a day when two top-ten conglomerate groups would become in-laws. In a way, it was as significant as a merger between giant corporations.

“There’s an important wedding today, Hyun should get ready to leave too.”

Ack, the orange juice almost reversed through my nose.

No way.

When I looked at the morning newspaper, grandfather nodded briefly.

“Do you know much about Hyunsung Group?”

How could I not know?

I had even faced today’s groom in my past life. Hyunsung Group’s youngest was famous in business circles. Of course, in a bad way – there was even a joke that he would float even if he fell in water. Given his hedonistic lifestyle, one can imagine how many incidents he caused. Where did I see him?

“No, grandfather.”

At the place where all sorts gather – the prosecutor’s office.

“Father, are you taking Hyun too?”

Big uncle raised his voice when he saw me following grandfather. His face clearly showed intense tension. He must be sick of it by now – could he be worried I might take his position right away? When grandfather moved without responding, big uncle glanced at me.

“Ahem, since many adults will gather today, be especially mindful of your behavior.”

“Yes, big uncle.”

Well well, as if I couldn’t take care of myself better than him. Big uncle seemed more anxious since young uncle’s forehead was split. He probably never expected grandfather to draw such a clear line.

As I was getting into the car.

“Driver Kim, let’s go.”

Grandfather locked the back seat and closed his eyes firmly. Driver Kim glanced at grandfather through the rearview mirror and promptly nodded. Outside the window, big uncle was staring at me with a dazed expression. A look of not understanding what was happening.

“Fa, father!”

Big uncle’s desperate voice came from outside the window, but the car soon departed. As big uncle’s figure grew distant in the side mirror, grandfather muttered to himself.

“That fellow wasn’t even invited.”

* * *

-Gramophone has three devils.

A story passed down in Gramophone, the world’s most famous classical music magazine. Gramophone’s editor-in-chief Adam Wisho was a renowned music critic and violin collector. The reason he flew all the way to Asia was simple. It was to meet the Queen of Strings. It was already a famous anecdote that he, who never hesitated to give harsh criticism to violinists’ melodies, shed tears upon hearing Hirose’s melody.

“Queen, it’s been a very long time.”

Adam Wisho personally stood up and respectfully greeted Hirose. Quite a surprising scene for those who knew his famously heavy bottom. The two embraced warmly like old friends reuniting.

“Queen’s 30th album will undoubtedly win the Gramophone Award again.”

“Adam, isn’t that too biased?”

“You know, Queen. Gramophone isn’t a place that simply accepts editors’ one-sided opinions.”

Adam took a sip from his teacup and asked.

“Queen, why did you step down from the judge position?”

It was one of the world’s top three competitions. The violin world had once been abuzz when the Queen of Strings, Hirose, took on the role of judge. Understandably so. The Queen had never shown her face at competitions before. But soon after, Hirose suddenly stepped down from the judge position, leaving only vague rumors floating around.

“Because I didn’t think I could evaluate fairly.”

That’s when unbelievable words penetrated Adam’s ears.

“Queen, what do you mean by that?”

“Adam, I’m already captivated by one person’s melody. If they enter the competition, I won’t be able to focus on other melodies.”

Confusion filled Adam’s eyes. What does this all mean? Had Mozart come back to life? Otherwise, who on earth could captivate the Queen of Strings with their melody?

*

Oppa―!

It feels like I can hear a nickname somewhere. Though I only saw Son Yu-ha’s silhouette from afar, her voice came naturally. By the way, did they consult a famous fortune teller for an auspicious day? The sky is so blue it’s hard to believe there’s a monsoon. Under the gleaming spire, countless members of chaebol families were gathering. Where is this?

Myeongdong Cathedral.

Of course, neither chaebol family is particularly devout Catholic. At a time when there’s much talk about strategic marriages between chaebol families, could there be a more suitable place to wrap a political marriage as a love match?

“Oppa, has your cold gotten better?”

Son Yu-ha, who had quietly approached, looked at me with concern while Chairman Wang and grandfather watched the scene contentedly. However, I could feel a piercing gaze on the back of my head – Son Il-seon was definitely shooting laser beams.

I often saw the third-generation members I’d seen at the previous banquet. Being a chaebol wedding, it seemed all the heirs from each group made sure to show their faces. Most followed what seemed like a set course: greeting the elders of both families in hanbok before immediately seeking out Chairman Wang. Looking from the outside, you couldn’t tell whose wedding it was.

“Oppa, they’re really pretty and handsome. Right?”

Son Yu-ha gaped at the bride and groom in their tuxedo and wedding dress. What could look more impressive to a child’s eyes? But would she know that these two would engage in bloody lawsuits over assets decades later? They were the ones who first popularized twilight divorce in Korea.

The wedding proceeded in a solemn atmosphere. Not only was it the stuffy 90s, but appearances were important at a gathering of chaebol elders. Even the elderly priest officiating today seemed nervous, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

‘Oh?’

It was in the middle of the ceremony. Someone walking to the piano for the congratulatory song looked familiar. Grandfather was already looking at me.

‘The Iron-Blooded Maestro?’

That’s when I remembered.

The fact that Baek Jung-hoon was from a branch of the Hyunsung Group. Later, his nickname “Iron-Blooded Maestro” became so famous that his chaebol connection was almost forgotten. Of course, I remember his prickly and cold personality didn’t welcome attention about his chaebol family membership. Who would have thought a future master would perform the wedding congratulatory song?

*

Crunch.

Baek Jung-hoon bit his dry lips hard. Was this how he felt at the Chopin Competition? No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was even more nervous. But he had to pull himself together. All the family members were watching him intently. If he hadn’t achieved such success with the piano, he wouldn’t have even been able to face these people, let alone perform at the wedding.

‘Whew.’

Taking an internal deep breath, his long fingers moved toward the keys.

Boom.

Starting with a heavy melody,

Baek Jung-hoon’s fingers began their endless dance. The dynamics changing with the overall flow of the piece made it seem like singing. Soon, a beautiful melody that rivaled heavenly voices reached the spire of Myeongdong Cathedral. This wasn’t just a simple piano performance. He was already becoming a world-class pianist, a next-generation master. Even those unfamiliar with classical music could tell how exceptional Baek Jung-hoon’s performance was. However.

‘Huh.’

Was it because he was too nervous?

Baek Jung-hoon made an unconscious mistake. Of course, the chaebol people wouldn’t notice it. It was just like putting a tiny dot on a thick line. At that moment, Baek Jung-hoon’s eyes met with a boy sitting in the audience.

Are you going to do it properly?

The boy’s gaze seemed to say that to Baek Jung-hoon.