Chapter 112
Junwoo was sitting on the sofa on the terrace piano stage, staring at a business card with trembling hands.
"This kind of thing happened to me…"
The sisters laughed out loud as they bought a cola for Soo-hyun and Junwoo and each had a glass of wine.
"Wow, Junwoo! How amazing! A call from a professor at the Munich University of Music!"
"Yes, but it was worth it! Junwoo's performance was great! Congratulations!"
Pleasant voices could be heard, but Junwoo couldn't hear the praise from the sisters.
'I won awards in many competitions, but I never stood out in an international one. I didn't even try. Then I met Soo-hyun and began to fear a real genius. I even thought that an ordinary person like me wouldn't be able to succeed on the international stage. But as soon as the preliminary round was over, Professor Hermann Lindner, the chairman of the jury, came to see me. He even suggested that I study in Germany.'
Three days had passed, and he still couldn't tell if it was reality or a dream. Professor Lee Chan-ho told him he had passed the preliminary round, but Junwoo's mind was completely focused on his future in Germany.
Soo-hyun gazed at the scenery outside with a soda in his hand. His face still looked sleepy.
"Congratulations on passing the preliminaries, Junwoo."
He greeted him with calm words. Junwoo looked up and saw the face of his faithful friend with an expression that said, 'Your journey was set.'
Junwoo's eyes filled with tears. He spoke with a moved expression, as if he had won the championship.
"I… I… I just played as you taught me…"
Soo-hyun said with a smile,
"Professor Lee Chan-ho said that the judges praised you highly."
"That… that's also all thanks to you…"
"You played the instrument," Soo-hyun said, holding his soda.
Junwoo's face was once again filled with emotion. His shoulders were tense.
'My friend Soo-hyun is a boy who doesn't know how to behave. It would be better to show off when buying snacks, but he's not stingy at all with the piano.'
"Thank you," Junwoo said, wiping his eyes.
Soo-hyun smiled and looked up at the sky again. The two sisters, who were delighted to see the silent friendship of the two friends, asked in unison,
"But Soo-hyun, is your first performance on the main stage number one?"
"Yes, that would really be a burden."
It was a joke from Professor Hermann. He probably just wanted to see Soo-hyun's performance quickly. He tilted his head slightly.
"Should I feel pressured if I'm number one?"
The cellist sister said it as if it were a matter of course.
"Of course, you go up before the judges have relaxed."
'Why is it better to go up after warming up? I don't understand.'
The violinist sister looked at Soo-hyun's expression and asked,
"Are you not nervous at all?"
"No."
"Haha, you're so brave. Well, if you could just show what you've practiced, I guess there would be nothing to worry about."
'Practice and performance are different. Even if you practice perfectly, it's inevitable to make mistakes on stage.'
But Soo-hyun didn't seem nervous. Junwoo, who had been watching him, understood and said with a smile,
"What's the first song of the main event?"
Soo-hyun said, as he drank his soda,
"Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27."
The two sisters spoke at the same time.
"Moonlight?"
"You mean the Moonlight Sonata?"
"It's Beethoven's most famous piece," Junwoo said with concern. "Are you okay? It's a very famous song. Many pianists have performed it, and their versions have been engraved in many people's memories. That means you'll be compared to them. You'll surely be compared."
Instead of Junwoo's words, another voice echoed in Soo-hyun's ears. A slightly high-pitched, but strong and powerful voice.
"Go play. If anyone laughs at this, I'll break their eardrums."
Soo-hyun smiled brightly as he recalled Beethoven's story.
"I'm fine."
The final round of the International Beethoven Competition. Junwoo, who would be competing the next day, sat on one side of the stage with the two sisters, somewhat relaxed. He saw Professor Lee Chan-ho take his seat a little late and asked,
"The concert hall is really small. The preliminaries were on a large stage."
Professor Lee Chan-ho smiled.
"Because it's a chamber music concert hall inside the Beethoven House. Since there are many participants in the preliminary round, the waiting room must be large. But from the final round onwards, such a large stage is not necessary. When we have an orchestra stage, we'll move to a larger one."
"Are chamber music concert halls usually this small?"
"The German word for chamber music is 'Kammermusik'," the professor said. "Originally, 'Kammer' meant a living room in a palace. It was a place where music was needed, not only for personal exchanges, but also for political meetings."
'It's incredibly small for a performance venue, but if you think of it as a living room, it's too large.'
As the start time approached, the two sisters began to get excited.
"It's finally time to hear Soo-hyun! He'll do well, right?"
"Of course! What a genius Soo-hyun is!"
It was a slightly jealous comment, but Junwoo decided to stop being jealous of Soo-hyun. He helped him, and he wasn't a friend who always blocked his way. After a while, the judges entered with solemn faces. Junwoo looked at Professor Hermann and then at the white-haired professor who came in last.
"Is that Professor Lech?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho nodded.
"Do you know Professor Lech?"
"Of course, in the music world, if you don't know him, you're a spy. I heard he's a candidate for dean of the Warsaw Conservatory."
"Haha, that's right. Wow, he's an amazing person! It's an honor for someone like him to come and be a judge."
The professor didn't tell Junwoo that Lech's target was Soo-hyun, so as not to disappoint him. As the judges sat down, the door behind the piano opened and Soo-hyun appeared, wearing a proper tuxedo. The two sisters became excited.
"Wow, he's really handsome!"
"I think I'll fall for you when you dress like that."
Junwoo glared at the two sisters. 'Hey, how much of an age difference is there between you and Soo-hyun? Why are you looking at a boy like that?'
The audience, who clearly saw Soo-hyun's face, began to whisper.
"The guide says there are Korean participants, but is the lighting strange?"
"Really? He has turquoise eyes. Is he multiracial?"
"He has a handsome appearance. If he has the skills, he'll become a star."
The older sister asked Professor Lee Chan-ho in English,
"Excuse me, Professor. Soo-hyun is Korean, so why are his eyes blue-green?"
The professor was embarrassed. It never seemed strange to him. At that moment, the younger sister said,
"Isn't the color of his hair a little different under the light?"
He usually seemed to have black hair, but under the spotlights, he had gray streaks. Junwoo, who heard, looked carefully at Soo-hyun.
'You're a teenager and you have gray hair.'
"With that appearance, you'd look great with gray hair!" the two sisters said. "It looks like it's going to turn silver."
'Was there a foreigner in Soo-hyun's family tree?,' the professor thought. 'A child who barely remembers his parents' names would have no way of knowing.' He shook his head. It was not the time to think about that.
"By the way, Chopin had blue-green eyes, didn't he?" one of the sisters said.
"Wouldn't he look like Liszt if he had silver hair? Wow! That would be great!"
The professor's eyes widened. Now that he thought about it, Soo-hyun always said that both of them were his teachers.
'Is it really a coincidence that the characteristics of both people appear in him?'
Soo-hyun bowed and sat down quietly at the piano stool. As he was preparing to play, the audience began to murmur again.
"The sheet music?"
"There's no sheet music, you don't have to play from memory, right?"
"Are you sure?"
"How cheeky. Does he think he's Clara Schumann?"
Until the mid-19th century, playing without sheet music was considered arrogant. As the Germans loved tradition, they looked at the young Soo-hyun's behavior with disdain. Junwoo clenched his fists.
'Soo-hyun, don't take any chances! Shut up those who are talking nonsense!'
The chattering audience fell silent at the sight of Professor Lech looking at them with a frown. As the tense silence settled, Soo-hyun slowly placed his hands on the keys.
- - - -
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