Chapter 137
The PD entered the elephant sanctuary a little later than the rest of the staff.
The PD, who passed through the lobby and the office and went out the back door that led outside, opened his mouth wide at the sight of the image unfolding under the dazzling and hot African sunlight.
A large cage.
No, was it correct to say "cage"? Instead of "cage," it would be more correct to say "a huge garden with an ecological fence."
African elephants, all covered in blue medicine, as if they were injured. Employees in green clothes stood in the distance.
Among them were some unidentified young people. They were Orientals, a rare sight around here.
And in the middle of the garden, a black piano could be seen on a wooden board with wheels on the ground.
And in front of it, a large man with dazzling silver hair and a charming smile was playing the piano.
"What, what is this…?"
He had a faint feeling that someone was playing the piano for the elephants.
This assumption was confirmed four years ago, when a famous Polish professor and world-renowned pianist held a concert for elephants here.
The PD thought that the old pianist would share the twilight of his life with elephants.
But the one playing the instrument was too young. Although he was large, his face was very youthful.
If you looked closely, he was probably in his mid-to-late teens.
On one side, the AD was seen fighting with the head of an elephant sanctuary.
"Once the performance is over, we can't film it. If we film it again later, it will lose its realism. How can we avoid it?"
The bald man who appeared to be in charge shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I can't let you film without his permission. And he's not even an employee here."
'Of course he's not an employee, since he's a pianist. It's obvious he's not playing for a hobby. We know that too. How can we not do something about it?'
A PD, who often experienced this kind of thing due to the nature of documentaries, approached and asked to shake hands.
"Hello, I'm Joe Biden from HUO in the United States."
The person in charge, staring at Jo's outstretched hand, then took it.
"This is Ignacio."
Jo nodded at Soo-hyun, who was playing the piano with his arms crossed.
"Did you say those guys aren't employees here? Who are they?"
"My daughter goes to music school. He's a friend of mine who came to visit during the vacation."
"Well, then are you a university student?"
"That's right. But I've heard you're a teenager."
Jo said, looking at Soo-hyun as he rubbed his chin.
"You're a teenager. Going to university in your teens is a sign of great talent. May I ask what school your daughter goes to?"
Abna was a source of pride for Ignacio. Ignacio, his face lit up, spoke in a proud tone.
"The best music school in the world is the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts, Austria."
Jo's eyes widened as he looked at Soo-hyun and turned his head.
"Are you a student at the Vienna State Conservatory of Music?"
"Yes, that's right."
Joe's brain worked fast. The Vienna State Conservatory of Music was a world-renowned school. If the pianist had entered such a school as a teenager, it meant he was a genius.
At that moment, Ignacio's decisive boast came to Joe's ears.
"My daughter told me that this child won the International Chopin Competition and the International Beethoven Competition at the same time. I was also told that he is treated as a different genius from other children at school."
Joe's eyes popped out.
'This is a picture! He won the Beethoven and Chopin competitions at the same time? I don't know much about music, but I know the reputation of those competitions. This is something I have to shoot without hesitation.'
"Did you say Ignacio? I have a suggestion for you."
"What? You can't take pictures without my permission."
Joe spoke to the AD, who was standing there blankly.
"Go and tell them to replace the SD cards in all the cameras with new ones."
"Yes? But, PD-nim, we haven't recorded anything yet."
"Just do it."
"Ah… yes."
As the AD hesitated and turned towards the camera team, Joe looked at Ignatius and said,
"As you just saw, all the cameras have had their SD cards replaced. This means that the SD cards containing the recordings of the performance have been removed. We are a documentary team that seeks reality. If we act after prior consultation, the performers will inevitably be conscious of the camera. Capturing the real image is the charm of a documentary."
Joe spoke to Ignacio, who was bewildered and didn't know what he was talking about.
"I will film first and then ask for permission after the performance. If I refuse, I will collect all the SD cards and delete the data in front of you, Ignatius. What do you think?"
Ignacio hesitated.
"Uh… if that's the case… but I don't think I can make this decision alone. Please wait a moment."
Ignacio went to see Abna, Junwoo, and Jaehee and informed them of the situation. The three people who were watching Soo-hyun's performance looked at Jo and discussed something. But the strange thing was that an Asian girl was suddenly seen hitting an Asian boy's butt. A boy who seemed stubborn even after being hit. A girl who seemed to have given up and shook her head from side to side, as if telling him to do as he pleased. An oriental boy who was so excited that he dragged Ignacio along.
Jo, who was looking at him blankly, asked.
"How are you?"
Ignacio pointed to the oriental boy with a worried face.
"Hey, this boy is a friend of that pianist and said he would help me get his permission after filming."
'Hmm? I guess if you're my friend, you could help me get permission. But why on earth?'
The boy who had been watching said.
"Hello, officer. I'm Kim Junwoo."
"Kim? Ah, I'm Joe Biden."
"Yes, so you'll film first and then ask for permission?"
"Yes, that's right. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, you said you would destroy the SD card data if he didn't give you permission, so you should film it. Instead…"
"Instead?"
Junwoo looked at the girls behind him, slowly bowed his head towards Joe, and whispered.
"Could you please include just one interview?"
'Interview? Who are you talking about?'
"Me."
"…?"
'What the hell is this guy talking about?'
"This is an interview about Soo-hyun. It's not about me," Junwoo said quickly.
'Soo-hyun? Is that pianist's name Soo-hyun?'
"Yes, I think it would be good if my friend asked me what kind of person Soo-hyun, the pianist, is."
"Mmm..."
'Come to think of it, it's not a bad idea.'
"Okay. But why…?"
"Haha, I'm just thinking of it for my friend."
"Okay, alright. Let's do a simple interview for about 30 minutes. Ah, not based on the broadcast time, but on the interview time."
"Yes! Are you getting your face out?"
"Yes, unless you specifically request to have your face covered."
"No way! Haha, then hurry up and start recording."
Jo, who was looking up and down at Junwoo with his strange attitude, instructed the AD to film. Jaehee stared at Junwoo, who was returning home cheerful and happy.
"Do you want to be on American TV that much?"
Abna also shook his head.
"What makes you want to do that so badly?"
Junwoo looked at Soo-hyun with a victorious smile.
"Hey, if Soo-hyun doesn't allow it, I'll erase the data anyway. If Soo-hyun says no, I won't do it either. But if I do, how cool would it be if I could sneak onto American TV? If my mom sees it, she'll record it and keep it for the rest of her life. Hehe."
"Oh my, the truth."
"Haha. Junwoo is so funny."
Following the production director's instructions, the entire camera team raised their cameras simultaneously. At the same time, the sound team picked up the noise and frequency of the beautiful piano sound. But soon the performance stopped. The performance stopped as soon as the shooting began.
The AD looked at Joe in confusion. His face seemed to be asking what to do. Joe watched Soo-hyun and then raised his hand to signal him to wait quietly.
Soo-hyun, sitting in front of the piano and looking in the direction of the elephant, was still unaware of what was happening behind him. Elephants were seen staring at Soo-hyun at the unfamiliar sound of the piano.
"Did you hear that?" Soo-hyun asked with a smile.
The police officer quickly looked at the camera team. Fortunately, they were still recording.
'A handsome young man talking to elephants who have no way of answering. His appearance alone is a painting. The unfortunate thing is that I don't know what it means because it's an unfamiliar language.'
At that moment, Junwoo leaned over and said.
"Did you hear that?" I asked. "It's Korean."
Jo looked at Junwoo and nodded.
"Thank you. I know it's a bit of a bother, but could you please explain what that person is saying?"
Soo-hyun's voice was heard looking at the elephant again. Junwoo, who had been quietly listening to the story, continued to say something.
"It's so sad, it's so worth it. I can't understand all your pain, but I can only comfort you with music. Can you listen to it one more time?"
"…"
'Today's teenagers are smart. They don't do anything that will harm them, they only look to take advantage. They're witty, and many even take advantage of the fact that their mistakes are forgiven because they're young. But I know that a child as innocent as this still exists somewhere in this world. Just thinking about it is comforting. And another piece of good news is that, judging by what Junwoo said about Soo-hyun, it seems that he still has the intention of playing more.'
Joe quickly turned his finger to the AD to signal him to start filming. Soo-hyun smiled brightly at the elephant and regained his composure.
A sonata-style piece began with a very small and weak performance. A bell that sounded. It was obvious that he was playing the piano, but it had a similar effect to a bell.
'It looks like the Kremlin bells I saw in the movies. It's as if the kind, handsome, and nice doctor is pressing the sore spot and asking, "Here? Does it hurt here?". As the piano sound gets louder, the doctor surprisingly pinpoints the most painful spot.'
Joe muttered, feeling that the performance was unusual.
"What song is it?"
Junwoo, who was witty, stepped forward and spoke.
"Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18."
Even the most ignorant in the music field knew the name Rachmaninoff.
Jo, who was absorbed in the sound of the piano played by Soo-hyun and was thinking about how to edit it to create a better picture, suddenly turned to Junwoo and said.
"Piano concerto? You mean a concerto?"
'If it's a concerto, it's a piece that should be performed with an orchestra. If only the piano part is played, there will inevitably be some empty space.'
However, there were no gaps in the pianist Soo-hyun's music. On the contrary, it was richer and fuller.
'How did you do it?'
Junwoo looked at Soo-hyun and nodded confidently, his expression changing to, 'That pianist over there is my friend!'
"Right now, Soo-hyun is playing all the parts of the orchestra on the piano."
Jo's face became astonished at Junwoo's words. Through his eyes, he saw Soo-hyun's arms moving so fast that his hands were barely visible, unlike the music that was playing very slowly and carefully.
"That, that can't be..."