For The Musical Genius (Novel) - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Son Jang-won.
The founding chairman who established the Jeil Group. What’s notable is that he’s from North Korea. Originally running a large wholesale business in North Hamgyong Province, Son Jang-won defected to South Korea around the time the Korean War broke out. He established Jeil Trading Company, the predecessor of Jeil Group, in Seoul, which was like ruins after being ravaged by war. Looking at the devastated Seoul, he reportedly exclaimed:
“This is an opportunity, a chance to turn life around!”
This story appears in Chairman Wang’s autobiography that I read in my past life. When I became a Jeil Group scholarship student, Chairman Wang was already gone. I never imagined I would meet the legendary Chairman Wang like this. Entering the grand mansion in Pyeongchang-dong, which would later become sacred ground for Jeil Group, gave me a unique feeling.
The garden is as spacious as a playground. Ancient pine trees add to its elegance. An elderly gardener in a straw hat is bent over pulling weeds, and golden carp show off their graceful figures in the pond.
“There he is.”
Grandfather strode forward. I followed closely behind.
“Hey, Son!”
Son?
At grandfather’s voice, the elderly gardener straightened his back.
‘Gasp.’
I was breathless. I had thought he was just an ordinary gardener. But beneath the straw hat appeared the face I’d seen in the autobiography. Chairman Wang looked much more vigorous than in his autobiography photos, despite being over seventy like my grandfather.
“Well, well, you old fool, coming in without the owner’s permission?”
Chairman Wang greeted grandfather with a smile. In business chronicles, Chairman Wang was described as a fierce tiger. Even President Son Il-sun admitted in his autobiography that he was afraid to meet his father alone. Yet here was Chairman Wang, smiling like a child. Grandfather was the same. In short, they were the closest of friends.
“So you’re the grandson Chairman Yu was so proud of.”
“Yes, I’m Kang-hyun.”
I unconsciously straightened my posture.
“Madam, bring us two coffees and one orange juice.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
It was a study filled with classic furniture. Like grandfather’s house, it showed restraint rather than extravagance. Their similar dispositions must have made them friends.
‘It’s exactly the same as the future.’
The furniture I saw in my past life was in exactly the same place without any deviation. Later, the Pyeongchang-dong mansion, like the site of Jeil Trading Company, would become a sacred place for Jeil Group. This shows how much Son Il-sun idolized his father. For example, when business wasn’t going well, Son Il-sun would come to Pyeongchang-dong to sleep.
“So, you ranked first in your class?”
“Yes, sir.”
Chairman Son smiled faintly at the formal address.
“Haha, call me grandfather.”
To think I’d be calling the Chairman Wang of Jeil Group grandfather. Life is truly unpredictable.
“Yes, grandfather.”
“Hyun-ah, just call me uncle. You’re not even his grandson.”
“You nasty old man. Should I have our granddaughter call you uncle too?”
Grandfather and Chairman Wang continued their playful bickering. But even that proved how close they were.
“Chairman Yu, have you thought about expanding your business? Isn’t it time to create some subsidiaries? How long will you focus only on the chemical industry?”
Chairman Wang took a sip of coffee before speaking. I carefully sipped my orange juice while listening to their conversation. Such occasions were rare.
“Department store business would be good, or even the aviation industry wouldn’t be bad. There will be more people leaving Korea for overseas in the future. Chairman Yu, isn’t it a waste to let your management skills rot in Dongju Chemical?”
Grandfather shook his head at Chairman Wang’s foresight.
“Chairman Son, we’re already old. After I die, my first and second sons will inherit the company, but do you think they have what it takes? Having too much is worse than having too little.”
Chairman Wang didn’t press further at grandfather’s firm words.
That’s when it happened.
“Grandfather!”
At the voice from outside the study, Chairman Wang rose with a smile. He personally opened the door for someone important enough to warrant such treatment.
“Let me introduce you, this is my granddaughter Son Yu-ha.”
“Hello, I’m Son Yu-ha.”
Son Yu-ha politely bowed her head. Well. I was dumbfounded by the familiar face. Jeil Group had women in business from the past, valuing individual ability over gender. Son Yu-ha, Chairman Wang’s granddaughter and Son Il-sun’s only daughter, would later take charge of Jeil Trading.
‘Ice Queen’
That was her nickname within the company. She was tough enough to frighten even most men, and her business acumen was identical to her father’s. Some elderly executives recalled that Son Yu-ha was exactly like her grandfather, Chairman Wang, not Son Il-sun.
And she…
“Hello, I’m Son Yu-ha.”
Extended her hand to me for a handshake.
* * *
“I heard you came from the countryside?”
Countryside?
Son Yu-ha, who was showing me around the mansion, addressed me.
“I want to visit the countryside too.”
There’s no malice in her words. Rather, it’s probably something she said out of innocence.
In my past life, I could count on my fingers the number of times I encountered Son Yu-ha while working in Jeil Group’s legal team. But from what I observed from afar, she was cold and demanding, living up to her nickname “Ice Queen” – completely different from how she appears now.
“Is it true that in the countryside, you can become first in class with just a little studying?”
I held back a smirk.
“I’m already studying first-year high school material. How far have you gotten?”
She speaks as if bragging. Though she would later be known as the Ice Queen who would take control of Jeil Trading, right now she’s just an innocent 11-year-old girl. With my previous experience of reaching the peak of entrance exam studies, her behavior was like a caterpillar showing off to a butterfly.
“Probably more than you.”
“What?”
Yu-ha’s eyes narrowed. She clearly didn’t believe me.
“Follow me.”
I followed Yu-ha’s footsteps. Come to think of it, this mansion is truly vast. Perhaps because of my smaller stature now, it felt much larger than I remembered from my past life. After walking down the corridor for a while, Yu-ha opened a door and entered.
Unlike other rooms, this one was filled with cute decorations. The bed with lace trim exuded a distinctly girlish charm.
“Solve this!”
Yu-ha pulled out a worksheet from the bookshelf and handed it to me. Even at a glance, the problems were beyond middle school level. Well, considering she would soon be studying the art of kingship, this level of advanced study was nothing.
“Let me see.”
The worksheet was clean.
But after some time, my hand continued writing down answers. As if I already knew all the answers, I solved everything mentally. They were just first-year high school level problems. But Yu-ha’s eyes showed clear disbelief.
“I’m done.”
“You’re lying!”
I handed back the worksheet after less than twenty minutes. Yu-ha clearly didn’t believe it. By the way, how long is she going to keep speaking informally to me? I was about to correct her manners but shook my head instead. After today, we probably wouldn’t meet again anyway.
“You… you got them all right.”
Yu-ha’s mouth fell open as she checked the answers against the answer key. She looks cute like this.
At that moment, something caught my eye.
“Yu-ha, do you play violin too?”
Lately, violin cases seemed to catch my eye often. Being from a wealthy family meant having refined hobbies. Particularly, instruments like piano and violin were essential items for daughters of wealthy families.
“Yes, I’m good at violin!”
Yu-ha quickly changed the subject to violin. Like any child, she wanted to show off what she was good at. Having judged in that short time that she couldn’t beat Kang-hyun in studies, she had already picked up her violin case before he could speak.
Though I don’t know much about violin types, the case looked quite expensive at a glance. Yu-ha opened the case with her small hands. It was a small violin sized for Yu-ha’s frame. The condition of the strings and bow showed it had been well maintained.
“Watch this.”
Yu-ha skillfully took her position.
She placed the violin between her chin and shoulder, even inserting the shoulder rest fitted to her frame. The position of her left hand and how she held the bow were textbook perfect. Just from her posture alone, one could tell how long Yu-ha had been practicing violin.
Zing.
The violin’s melody pierced my ears.
This piece?
Could such a coincidence exist?
Yu-ha’s gaze was fixed on the end of the violin. As if refusing to allow even a single mistake, she never closed her eyes.
“Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Winter, 3rd Movement.”
It was the same piece that Kang Hye-jung, the music teacher, had played. Given her age, Yu-ha should have been playing from the Suzuki method books. While Four Seasons was certainly a difficult piece, Yu-ha didn’t allow a single mistake. The score must have been engraved in her mind through repeated practice. But beyond effort…
‘She has talent.’
She had innate talent.
Particularly, her sense of rhythm was exceptional, compensating for the slower passages caused by her short fingers.
After the performance.
“How was it?”
Yu-ha immediately looked at Kang-hyun and asked.
“You did well.”
Kang-hyun smiled and praised her. Considering her age, this level of performance was remarkable. But that was all.
“Yu-ha, did your violin teacher assign this piece?”
“No! I begged to play it!”
As I thought.
It’s an unsuitable piece. Yu-ha still lacks the maturity and technique needed. In other words, the piece doesn’t fit her body yet. Like a child wearing their parent’s clothes. I could clearly imagine how troubled her violin teacher must be with such an ambitious child.
“Um, how about practicing other pieces?”
“Why? I played well without any mistakes!”
How should I explain this?
Frequently wearing ill-fitting clothes tends to create bad habits. To explain this difference to Yu-ha, I would need to show her a perfect performance of Four Seasons. But how do I even know all this?
“Can you play violin too, oppa?”
“Huh?”
More than the question about playing violin, I was surprised by the word “oppa” I had just heard.
To think I’d live to call Jeil Group’s Chairman Wang grandfather and be called oppa by Jeil Trading’s President Son Yu-ha.
“Show me!”
Yu-ha puffed up her cheeks and held out the violin to me.
What should I do?
I had received the violin reflexively, but I had only learned violin briefly for a month or two long ago. Even then, I had given up due to lack of talent.
But why?
When I held the violin and bow, my heart started racing wildly.
The small violin seemed to be screaming at me to play it.
Could I really play the violin?
I moved as my heart guided me.
“Huh?”
Yu-ha’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s. Because Kang-hyun immediately took the proper position after receiving the violin. And that posture was as natural as flowing water. He became one with the instrument instantly, like someone who had played violin for a long time.
And then
The bow slowly rose.
Yu-ha unconsciously held her breath.
The moment the bow touched the strings.
Zing.
Winter arrived.
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