Chapter 65
'I had to create it because I could no longer hear God's voice. It was the only way to survive.'
How heartbreaking is this? After hearing Beethoven's words, Soo-hyun was speechless. Beethoven, who had been observing him, said,
"I suppose my story is being told to the world."
"…"
"What do they say?"
"They call you the 'Saint of Music'."
"What a strange nickname! What else?"
Beethoven seemed curious. As Soo-hyun told him the story he had heard from the professor and Ji-ye, Beethoven sometimes smiled and sometimes made an angry face, until he looked down at his roaring stomach and spoke.
"Do they even know that I have diarrhea?"
"…Yes."
'I feel exposed. A vicious person who defecates.'
"It's not that. Many people respect you, sir."
"So, wasn't it because you overcame diarrhea and started making music?"
"No, they respect the man who lost his hearing, which is the most important thing for a musician, and still wrote songs of joy and ecstasy, not of pain and rage."
Beethoven smiled brightly. It seemed he already knew, but he wanted to hear it directly from Soo-hyun. Soo-hyun, who saw that Beethoven's mood had improved, asked.
"May I ask how you were able to make music if you couldn't hear?"
"I already asked, so what?"
Beethoven said, tapping his head as if it were nothing.
"All the sounds of the instruments are in here. It's not difficult to combine them. The difficult thing is the process of creating the song."
"Was it in the voice of God that you created?"
Beethoven nodded as he stared at Soo-hyun, who had asked the question.
"I don't know anymore. Whether the voices I heard were created by myself or were voices from God. Maybe they spoke to me out of pity, or maybe they were hallucinations I heard while struggling to survive. At first, I specialized in solo and chamber music. However, my sound memory gradually faded and I began to write pieces that appealed to emotions rather than the order of sound. Inevitably, I received harsh criticism."
'You can compose without hearing. Beethoven says it as if it's easy. But no matter how hard he tries to understand, Soo-hyun can't. Does he compose without knowing what notes he's playing on the keyboard? Is that even possible?'
Soo-hyun said, thinking that he had nothing more to gain by asking.
"I'm going to that old man's competition."
"I've never created a competition."
"But there's a competition that bears my uncle's name. It's called the Beethoven Competition. There's also a competition that bears my uncle Chopin's name."
Beethoven said, changing his expression as if he were interested.
"Are you playing my music there?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Is that guy Chopin also a competition?"
"Yes."
"Is this your first time in a competition?"
"No, I went to the Chopin Competition you just mentioned."
"How about your grades?"
"It's a victory."
"Hahahahaha! Is it natural being Chopin's disciple? Hahaha, I asked a meaningless question. Wait, wait, wait."
Beethoven was laughing out loud at something funny, but suddenly his expression hardened.
"Is there a competition that bears my name and Chopin's?"
"There's also a Liszt competition."
"That's not the problem. Is there a damn Mozart competition?"
"What…what did you say?"
'That damn bastard. The one who made my father beat me to get over myself. Mozart.'
"There is."
"Damn it!!! Who has the upper hand in terms of evaluation, me or that guy?"
"I can't say who has the upper hand."
"Both are well-known."
"Mmm…"
Beethoven made a disgusted face. He shook his legs, rubbed his index finger and thumb, and then got up and began to pace around the room, biting his nails. Beethoven had a habit of composing while walking around his room during his lifetime. He wasn't one to tiptoe, so it's said that he fought with the people downstairs and had to greet them several times. Beethoven, who had been pacing around the room for a while, finally stopped. He looked at Soo-hyun angrily and asked.
"Are you going to enter that guy's competition too?"
'If it's that guy, he must be talking about Mozart. I don't have any ideas about it yet, but maybe I'll say it someday. I don't know yet. But it's hard to say for sure that it won't come out.'
"Hey… This isn't going to work! Come here!"
Beethoven roughly grabbed Soo-hyun's wrist and opened the door of the log cabin.
"Sir?"
Beethoven, dragging Soo-hyun to the zelkova piano stage, raised his fist to the sky and shouted.
"You are my disciple! I promised Chopin and Liszt. Did you win Chopin's competition? You have to win mine too! If you don't win mine and only win Mozart's, everyone will laugh at me!"
Soo-hyun, who was being dragged by a great force, tried to use the strength of his legs, but it was a futile resistance. Then, Soo-hyun was dragged to Beethoven's piano stage.
Professor Lee Chan-ho opened the door of Soo-hyun's practice room with a familiar gesture, then looked surprised when he saw Soo-hyun lying on the piano keyboard with the lid closed.
"Soo-hyun? Where does it hurt?"
This had never happened before. The Soo-hyun he knew was the one who went home normally, without batting an eye, even after six hours of intense practice. But that Soo-hyun was lying face down. When he opened the door to teach, Chan-ho Lee was surprised to see Soo-hyun's unfamiliar appearance, always sitting upright and reading music. Lee Chan-ho ran quickly and shook Soo-hyun.
"Soo-hyun! Soo-hyun?"
"Mmm...."
His eyes were wide open. Professor Lee Chan-ho touched Soo-hyun's face and tried to lift him up by sticking his hand in his armpit.
"Let's go to the hospital. You seem to be sick."
Soo-hyun slightly pushed him away and shook his head.
"I'm not hurt anywhere. I'm just tired. I just couldn't sleep."
"What's worrying you?"
Soo-hyun shook his head.
'I was surprised by Beethoven and received a strict two-hour lesson. When I told my sister Ji-ye that I should go home because she was worried, she told me to go and come back. After that, after receiving an eight-hour lesson, I came out and it was time to go to school. I was so tired that I couldn't even concentrate in class, but I kept my eyes wide open and endured it because the music prodigies would receive even harsher looks if I slept during class.'
"No, I think I'll be fine if I get some sleep."
Professor Lee Chan-ho shook his head firmly and then picked up Soo-hyun's bag.
"Go home. Lessons and whatnot can be done later. The body comes first."
'I feel a little sorry for Professor Lee Chan-ho, who is worried. Seeing the sheet music he brought, it seems he worked hard to prepare for the Beethoven Competition.'
Professor Lee Chan-ho saw Soo-hyun looking at the sheet music he had brought and gestured as he hid the sheets behind him.
"Go quickly. The professor is going to get angry."
"Yes...."
'I won't be able to sleep even if I go home, professor. I told him to come tonight. If he doesn't come, I'll give him twice as many lessons tomorrow. That old man has that personality.'
Soo-hyun, who stood up after gathering his things one by one, quickened his pace, thinking that he could get home and sleep for at least an hour or two. As soon as he got home, he threw his bag on the floor and fell into a deep sleep.
'How long have you been sleeping? Judging by the darkness of the room, it seems like quite a bit of time has passed. Ha, I guess Mr. Beethoven is waiting, huffing and puffing.'
Ji-ye's voice was heard in Soo-hyun's ears as he woke up with a dazed face.
"Oh, Jaehee is here! What should I do? Soo-hyun is sleeping."
'I guess Jaehee is here. Judging by the fact that I can only hear Ji-ye's voice, she hasn't said anything again.'
"Jaehee! Did you get a haircut? You look so pretty without your bangs! Why did you cover your eyes until now? Such pretty eyes!"
I woke up from a nap and suddenly came to my senses, which had been a bit dizzy.
'Jaehee got a haircut? Can you see her eyes?'
As he quickly stood up and opened the door, the two women who had been talking in front of the main door looked at him at the same time. Soo-hyun could clearly see Jaehee's face. The bangs were still there, but they were cut close to her eyebrows so that her eyes were visible. Jaehee's face originally had a soft nose and slightly raised lips, giving her a cute image. I realized that the fact that you can see a person's eyes makes a big difference in how I perceive that person. Big, round eyes. Her jet-black pupils looked at Soo-hyun and caused an earthquake.
Sister Ji-ye gestured to Soo-hyun.
"Soo-hyun, have you seen Jaehee's haircut? It's so pretty, right?"
"…"
Soo-hyun almost nodded without realizing it. He grabbed his head, which had been forcefully lowered, and scratched the back of his neck for no reason before shrugging his shoulders.
"It looks much better than what was hidden."
It was ambiguous to call it a compliment, but Jaehee's face flushed. Jaehee bowed her head again. Soo-hyun approached and asked.
"What's that?"
Jaehee's body trembled. Then she realized that she had a bunch of sheet music in her hands. Jaehee hesitated and held out the sheet music with both hands. Soo-hyun took the sheet music, read the title, and asked.
"Are these Beethoven's sheet music?"
Nod, nod.
"Did you print it for me?"
Nod, nod.
"When did you get your haircut?"
"…today."
"Good job, did you go with your dad?"
Shakes her head.
"Did you meet your mom?"
Nod, nod.
"Okay, thank you. I was going to ask you for it anyway. I'll make good use of it."
"…"
Even though she had finished her work, Jaehee was still hesitant. Soo-hyun looked at him blankly and said,
"I'm a little busy. Do you have anything else to say? If not, let's talk tomorrow."
As Soo-hyun turned around while reading the musical score, he felt someone grab his T-shirt from behind. When Soo-hyun, who had stopped moving, looked back, he saw Jaehee holding Soo-hyun's shirt tightly with both hands.
"Huh? Is there anything else you want to talk about? If it's hard to talk, do you want to write to me?"
Jaehee slowly released the strength in her hands, finally let go of the T-shirt, and nodded slightly. It seemed that it was easier to do it by message. After seeing Jaehee off on her way home, Soo-hyun returned to her room, looked at her phone, and chuckled.
[Jaehee: Why don't you buy me snacks this time?]
'What? Was it that hard to ask for candy? Seriously. Ha, I guess I can't do it when I'm busy.'
Soo-hyun smiled brightly as he put on his clothes and sent a text with one hand.
[Soo-hyun: It's three thousand won. I can't afford more.]
Tonight, the night passed again for the boy who had no sense of humor.