Chapter 62
Ji-ye's expression was strange as she stopped at the market. Normally, she would hum while thinking about what to cook for Soo-hyun, but today she was lost in thought, dragging the shopping cart.
'Why did he buy a hearing aid?'
The money Soo-hyun spent was his own, but Ji-ye had checked the card statement to help him develop a good sense of finances. She was confused when she saw the record of an expensive hearing aid purchase that cost 2.5 million won.
'Is it for someone in Baeksa Village? It's nice to think that the kind Soo-hyun bought it for an elder he met, but we have to be careful. Although Soo-hyun receives a lot of support, there's no telling how long it will last.'
She shook her head and muttered, looking at her cart,
"I have to make mung bean pancakes for dinner. I used to hate them, but now I'm good at them."
Thanks to Soo-hyun, who enjoyed everything she made, her cooking skills had improved immensely. When Ji-ye went upstairs and opened the door, she saw shoes other than Soo-hyun's.
"Is Jaehee here? These look like men's shoes. Besides, they're dress shoes, not sneakers."
A young voice could be heard from inside the house.
"Do you really only have Beethoven sheet music at home? No Chopin? No Brahms?" "There's none." "I heard you won the Chopin Competition. Show me the score you practiced back then." "I told you, there really isn't any." "Is that so? It's not because you don't want to show the comments on the score, right?" "No, believe me."
It was a boy's voice.
'Soo-hyun's only friend was Jaehee, so when did he make a male friend and invite him home? This is our Soo-hyun's first male friend!'
Ji-ye, with a happy face, quickly ran into the house.
"Soo-hyun, is your friend here?"
She saw Junwoo sitting at the piano and Soo-hyun on the sofa. Junwoo stood up and bowed.
"Hello, Sister. I'm Kim Junwoo."
"Ah! You're the boy I saw at the entrance ceremony. Your name is Junwoo?"
"Yes, I'm Kim Junwoo."
"Haha, okay, it's nice that you came. Did you come to play with Soo-hyun?"
"Yes, I was curious about how he practices."
"Ah, I see. Do you want to stay for dinner? I'll make you some delicious bindaetteok."
Junwoo checked the time. He attended many academies, not just for piano, but for his studies as well. His mother made him go to three academies until midnight.
"I'm sorry, I have to go to the academy…"
"Oh, okay. Well, have fun."
"Thank you, Sister."
"Haha, you're very polite."
As Ji-ye headed to the kitchen, Soo-hyun asked,
"Which academy are you going to?"
"I have to take piano lessons and then go to an English academy. After that, I'm going to a German academy."
Many piano prodigies receive separate language education, as their path often leads abroad. Junwoo asked Soo-hyun, who was nodding with a pout.
"Don't you go to an academy?"
"Oh."
"Why? Aren't you studying?"
Soo-hyun burst out laughing. He had been taking lessons for six hours a day for seven years, and in the remaining time, he was taught Polish, French, German, and English.
"I'm fine."
Junwoo was impressed.
'Hey, are you going to rot in Korea? Language is a basic requirement for studying abroad. I've been learning English for over five years.'
He looked at Soo-hyun with pitying eyes, but thought he could win in this, so he teased him slyly.
"What kind of things do you do on the weekends?"
Junwoo showed his white teeth when he saw Soo-hyun stroking the back of his neck and looking towards the kitchen where Ji-ye was.
'You don't know? You don't know what I'm talking about? Hehe, see that. That's what they say when they say you have to study so you don't get treated like an idiot.'
Soo-hyun looked at the laughing Junwoo and said, tapping the book next to him.
"Let me see… I usually spend my weekends reading and relaxing at home. And you?"
Junwoo's triumphant expression hardened. Soo-hyun had used the phrase "Let me see," which he had learned at the academy a few days ago in an advanced class.
"You… you can speak English?"
Soo-hyun shrugged. Junwoo looked embarrassed.
'What? Then German? You have to learn German? Do you know how hard it is? I've only been studying it for six months and I'm going crazy.'
Soo-hyun stood up and asked towards the kitchen.
"Sister, what's bindaetteok?"
Junwoo's face went blank. Was that the only reason he had been looking towards the kitchen before? Ji-ye's answer was heard from afar.
"They're chewy and delicious pancakes. Wait a moment."
Soo-hyun muttered as he rubbed his hand on his thigh.
"What's buchimgae?"
Soo-hyun, who had a pouty face, said as he looked at Junwoo, who was still staring at him.
"Ich habe dir was gesagt. (I told you something.) Du scherzt wohl sehr gern. (You really like to joke.) Kein Scherz. (No joke.)"
Junwoo's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Are you surprised? Is there a problem?"
"You, you…" Junwoo's expression became absurd. 'Where did you learn it? I was told you didn't even go to an academy.'
"When I disappeared, that's when I learned."
"Ah…," Junwoo swallowed his words as if he had made a mistake. 'That's right, that's what happened. I heard it from my mom. I thought it was strange that she told me to be close to Soo-hyun. My mom usually didn't let me play with children without parents. At the time I just thought it was because he was the winner of the Chopin Competition. When I realized it, I understood that I wasn't superior to Soo-hyun in anything. That's probably why my parents insisted so much that I get close to him.'
Soo-hyun looked at Junwoo, who had a disappointed expression on his face, and said,
"Should I teach you?"
Junwoo's head shot up suddenly.
"You?"
"Yes, I don't mind talking to the local people."
'Really? That's all?'
"Ah. I traveled around Poland without an interpreter. If it's English, Ji-ye over there is fluent too. She was an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
'Learn Polish? Could I escape this boring academy? Could I study while playing with my friends?' Junwoo's face lit up.
"But I'm no help to you."
"It's okay, that's all."
Soo-hyun waved his hand, saying it was refreshing and cool. For some reason, he looked cool. At that moment, Ji-ye's voice was heard from the kitchen.
"Nam Soo-hyun."
"Yes?"
"Have you finished your homework?"
Soo-hyun, who had been shrugging his shoulders, slumped.
"No...."
"Junwoo, if you're going to the academy, hurry up. If you don't manage to solve the quadratic equation by today, you'll be in big trouble."
"Ha...."
Confusion bloomed again on Junwoo's face.
'Quadratic equations? You learn that in elementary school. In the early grades, of course.'
"Tch."
Soo-hyun kicked the floor for no reason. A wicked smile spread across Junwoo's face as he looked at Soo-hyun with a blank expression.
"You can't solve it? Are you bad at math?"
Soo-hyun stared at Junwoo and asked.
"What's a 'goja'?"
'Even though he said it, Junwoo doesn't know exactly what a "goja" is. He just does it because everyone calls him that.'
"You're bad at math, right? Hahaha! So there are things you're bad at too!"
"Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm good at it!"
Soo-hyun bit his lip. He seemed resentful. The more this happened, the more a sense of victory appeared on Junwoo's face.
"Hahaha! Should I teach you?"
"…"
Junwoo waved his hands and imitated Soo-hyun.
"I've already paid the debt. Hahahaha!"
Junwoo's teasing continued for a while. Ji-ye heard Soo-hyun being teased, but she laughed.
'He seems like a normal child. Ji-ye knows what Soo-hyun needs most and finds this situation very pleasant.'
Junwoo, who had been joking with Soo-hyun for a while and had let out all his pent-up emotions, asked as they were sitting next to each other on the sofa and looking at the piano.
"Where is that piano from?"
"I don't know."
"Huh? Why don't you know? You didn't buy it with your older sister, did you?"
"It was a gift from a professor in Warsaw."
"Really? Wow, that looks super expensive! It's much better than my piano."
"Well?"
"Yeah, I want to practice like that too. I think it will help me prepare much better for the competition."
"Are you going to the competition?"
"Uh-huh."
"When?"
"There are about four months left."
"Hmm, I see."
'Everyone is preparing so hard. Is winning the competition that important?'
"Which competition are you going to?"
"I originally planned to participate in the Tchaikovsky Competition. But thanks to you, I've been obsessed with Beethoven lately, so I think it would be better to participate in the Beethoven Competition. That's why I'm preparing."
Soo-hyun asked with wide eyes.
"Is there a Beethoven competition? Like the Chopin one?"
"Isn't it obvious? He's the best musician, no one knows who's better."
"Where do you do it?"
"Of course, in Bonn, Germany."
In Soo-hyun's memory, the image of his Uncle Frederick holding the trophy he won at the Chopin Competition that bears his name and rejoicing greatly came to mind.
'I wonder if Mr. Beethoven likes it too.'
Junwoo continued to speak.
"Koreans are very successful in the Beethoven Competition lately. The pianist Yoo Young-wook won first place in 2007, the pianist Han Ji-ho won second place in 2011, and Ahn Su-jeong won again in 2013. I heard that, thanks to that, Korean pianists are treated better locally."
Soo-hyun was absorbed in his thoughts. Junwoo, who was watching him, asked cautiously.
"Are you thinking of going out too?"
Junwoo, who was only participating for the experience and didn't think he would win an award, seemed somewhat expectant.
'Because I thought that if I participated with Soo-hyun, I could get a lot of advice and achieve higher scores than my goal.'
- - - -
More Chapters Every Week!
Hey everyone! Want to read more of my novels every day? Now you can! We're starting a new challenge where you can help me unlock more chapters.
How it works:
Webnovel Power Stones: For every 200 Power Stones collected on my novels each week, I'll add an extra daily chapter for the whole next week. If we hit 1000 stones, that's 7 daily chapters!
Patreon Free Members: For every 10 new free members who join my Patreon each week, I'll add another extra daily chapter!
If we meet both goals, we could get up to 12 chapters daily!
A special note for my paid Patreon subscribers: If we hit these goals, you'll get an even bigger boost—up to 15 chapters daily that week!
Join my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/iLikeeMikee
Let's do this! Your support helps a ton