Chapter 58
"Sister, did Beethoven completely lose his hearing?"
"Huh? Why that all of a sudden?"
"I was just curious."
At Soo-hyun's house, Ji-ye grew nervous at the sudden question while they were eating.
"Well, I'm not sure. I've heard so."
"Well, I'll ask the professor tomorrow."
"No, wait a moment. I have a cell phone."
'You can do that with a cell phone? If you had taught me a long time ago, I would have tried. I have a cell phone too.'
Ji-ye said as she took out her cell phone and searched.
"There's no exact record of Beethoven's hearing problems. It seems they weren't curable at the time. From 1802 to 1808, he suffered from diarrhea accompanied by fever and abdominal pain. Although it improved temporarily, it's said that the diarrhea plagued him until his death."
'Diarrhea? For a moment, the image of Beethoven running to the bathroom without speaking came to mind. So that's what happened. It must have been very hard. It's tough to have diarrhea even for a single day, let alone endure it your whole life. I feel a little sorry for the old man.'
Ji-ye's words continued.
"He suffered a lot from the loss of his mother at seventeen, and his family situation was difficult. He also suffered a lot from the psychological burden of his father, a heavy drinker. There is a record that he contracted smallpox as a young man."
"What is smallpox?"
"It's a viral disease that causes a skin rash. It leaves marks on the face and body."
'A red, pockmarked face. Beethoven's grumpy face showed the marks of the disease.'
"He loved wine very much, but he drank it slowly and in large quantities. This is said to have aggravated his chronic diarrhea and hearing loss. As a result, he developed jaundice in 1821, the onset of liver cirrhosis."
"So Beethoven's death was caused by liver cirrhosis?"
"Well, the diarrhea and abdominal pain worsened, and the symptoms of cirrhosis, jaundice, and ascites became more severe. He also reportedly had pneumonia. The autopsy report states the cause was liver cirrhosis."
'Poor thing. How much suffering must that have been?'
"There is a theory that it was syphilis, a type of sexually transmitted disease, but it is not a decisive cause of death. Huh? Did you know Beethoven's hearing aid still exists?"
"What's a hearing aid?"
"It's a device that amplifies even the smallest sounds so you can hear them."
'Hmm? Does that mean he didn't completely lose his hearing?'
"Yes, that's right. Even if there had been hearing aids back then… they probably wouldn't have been very effective."
"Is it different now?"
"Yes, if you haven't completely lost your hearing, there are assistive devices that can help you lead a normal life."
Soo-hyun's eyes lit up.
"Is it expensive?"
"It's expensive. The cheap ones cost about 800,000 won, and the expensive ones are around 4 million. I know because I saw my grandmother buy one."
'That's expensive. How much is that in supermarket snacks?'
Soo-hyun suddenly asked.
"Hey, Sister."
"Huh?"
"Do I still receive donations these days?"
Ji-ye asked, slightly surprised.
'Why? Are you suddenly interested in money?'
"No… just."
Jiye smiled and stood up.
"Wait a second."
She took out a bank passbook from the drawer.
"Professor Lee Chan-ho organizes the monthly donations and sends them to your account. Take a look! It's money that people in Poland are giving you so you can devote yourself to music, so use it wisely."
Soo-hyun opened his passbook and smiled brightly when he saw the numbers that filled the paper.
"Can I use a little of this?"
"Of course, it's your money."
Ji-ye tilted her head.
'What are you going to use it for? If you're going to use it for something useless, you should stop.'
'Speak louder. Shout, I'm deaf. That feeling that I should be more perfect than others. Certainly, a flawed sense that I already possessed to a rare degree. When I left the world and entered this place, it was a world of perfect silence. The annoying earache no longer causes pain, but it still follows you even after death. When people want to see, they open their eyes. If you don't want to see, you just close them. However, the world that is not visible to you ends there.'
Beethoven was sitting alone in his log cabin as he watched the snow fall.
'Sounds that can't be heard. I've never heard the sound of snow falling, but I miss the sound of footsteps on the snow so much. Crunch, crunch. We can create music by imagining sounds, but we lose our exact memories of the sounds of our daily lives. My thoughts are getting darker and darker.'
Beethoven shook his head.
'I can't sink to the bottom again. Let's think of something else. Oh, right. Let's think of that strange guy from a while ago. He was a funny guy. I remember the story I heard about Soo-hyun's father on the train. It must have been the happiest moment of my life. But at that moment, all the happiness disappeared. A prank by some kids. I also felt anger welling up when I saw it with Soo-hyun. However, the child who had shown everything and was trembling with anger looked at me and said thank you. Yes, I should be grateful. But how many people can truly thank the person who made them go through that? It seems tough, but it's fun. Will we meet again? I'm someone who has never liked anyone in my entire life. I don't see anyone, except for the occasional visits from two guys named Chopin and Liszt. Have you ever waited for someone?'
At that very moment, he heard a piano sound ringing in his head. It wasn't inspiration. It was his own music. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2. The one people called the 'Moonlight' Sonata.
A faint smile appeared on his face. A slight vibration was felt at the door.
'When he first came, he opened the door without even knocking. Now that he's here, he's knocking. You idiot! How can I know you're knocking if I can't even hear you? I'm still an idiot, haha.'
Instead of going out and opening the door, he went to get a notebook and a pen. The door opened and a handsome boy with curly hair and blue-green eyes appeared. Judging by the shape of his mouth, he seemed to be greeting him.
'But I still can't hear you. And what's that in your hand?'
He saw a small box.
'What did you bring?'
The boy opened the box and saw a strangely shaped object. It had two long lines, similar to cables, extending from a small machine. As the child operated the machine, a small red light turned on. Soo-hyun slowly approached, waving his hand as if telling him not to be nervous.
'What are you trying to do?'
Beethoven flinched when the machine he was holding came close to his ear. He felt an instinctive aversion. As Beethoven pulled his head back, Soo-hyun patted him on the chest as if to reassure him or ask him to trust her.
'He's the type of person who says thank you even after seeing that horrible scene from the past, so he won't do any harm.'
He felt a strange sensation in his ears. It felt as if his ears were being plugged with slightly cool cotton. He looked at Soo-hyun with a distorted face.
'Are you making fun of me because you're also deaf?'
He wanted to throw the thing that was plugging his ears right away. Then, when Soo-hyun pressed a small button on the machine, the red light turned green.
Jiiing…
A strange noise echoed in his ears. Beethoven staggered, feeling slightly dizzy.
'Is this guy getting revenge for last time? That noise... Wait, noise? When was the last time I heard noise?'
"…Can…you…hear…me?"
Beethoven's eyes lit up.
'What? What did you just say?'
Soo-hyun said, looking into his eyes that were wide open as if they were going to pop out.
"Can you hear me?"
It sounded clear and distinct.
'This is ridiculous! What have you done to me?'
Beethoven, whose ears were open but his mouth was closed, had a lost expression on his face. Soo-hyun said, holding a small machine in his hand.
"If you slide the little button here to the right, you'll hear a sound. This is something you can't buy without a hearing test, but I was able to get it myself by asking a chairman I know."
Beethoven stared at the small machine.
'Can you hear sounds with this little machine? Haha, am I dreaming? Of course! It must be a dream, right?'
He pinched his cheek hard.
'Haha, I knew it. It doesn't hurt. It was a dream after all. No, wait, I'm dead, so I can't feel pain.'
When Beethoven looked at Soo-hyun, he saw the boy's pure eyes. Soo-hyun said with a smile.
"It needs batteries. Stop by one day and I'll change them for you."
"That… crackle, the battery… what is it?"
If you don't speak for a long time, your throat will get cracked and you'll have phlegm. But it's not boring, because you hear it clearly with your own ears.
"It's the power that moves this machine."
'Really…? Are you really saying I can hear with my ears? From now on, as long as this guy is by my side, I'll be able to hear sounds continuously.'
Beethoven's mouth opened wide as the unimaginable became a reality. Soo-hyun said as he held Beethoven's hand.
"Thank you, sir."
Beethoven's eyes twitched.
'My lifelong wish was to hear sounds. If I could get my hearing back, I could pay off all my debts, even if I worked myself to death. The child whose wish came true said he wanted nothing more. He was just grateful. What? What are you so grateful for? I've only taught you what fear and anger are. Why are you repaying me with such a great favor?'
Soo-hyun smiled brightly and turned around.
"I stopped by before going to school, so I have to go quickly. I'll be back later."
Soo-hyun was about to go out again when Beethoven jumped up and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Stop."
Soo-hyun, who was walking down the street, turned around and made a face as if asking if he had something to say. Beethoven, who was looking at Soo-hyun in silence, said.
"Did you say your teachers were Chopin and Liszt, those two guys?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Tell those two guys."
"What?"
Beethoven said, grabbing the sheet music he had left on the table.
"I'll give you a hand too."
Soo-hyun looked at Beethoven with a questioning expression. And from that day on, Soo-hyun had three teachers.
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